The Last Sunset
by Belle McGrath
Summary: "Even if there were new kids on the west side of town, what did we care? It's not like they'll have anything to do with us anyway... How very wrong I was." - Mary Jane Evans is a 14 year-old Soc. She has everything she could possibly wish for. But Mary also has a secret. A secret that threatens to be revealed when an auburn-haired greaser shows up in her life.
1. Mornings

**A/N: Hey guys! :)**

**I came up with this idea about a year ago, and I spent the past months gathering the time and courage to finally start writing, so I really hope you like it!**

**To all the people who aren't fans of OC fanfics, wait up! To be honest, I'm not a massive fan of them either (although there are some really great ones out there), but the reason why I decided to write one is because Mary becomes much much more than what you think she'll become. She sees every member of Ponyboy's gang from an outsiders point of view and it really puts you into perspective. It's not the typical OC fanfic, trust me. ;)**

**I'll try to update as regularly as possible, although I don't really have a schedule or anything.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the story plot. If any part of this fanfiction looks like another one, it's not anything intentional.**

**Enjoy, and please let me know what you think in the reviews! They're very appreciated! :) Stay gold. x**

XxX

_May 2, 1966_

*Soda's POV*

I was awoken that morning by the sound of Darry starting to fix breakfast in the kitchen. I stretched and yawned, trying to find an excuse to stay in bed for my usual five more minutes. I propped myself up on one elbow and looked down on my baby brother, still sound asleep, looking peaceful. He had had a few terrible nightmares since Mom and Dad died three months ago, but I've been sleeping with him for two months now and they stopped occurring so often, so that was a relief for Darry and I. I smiled down at him and brushed away a few strands of his long hair that were falling in his eyes, careful not to wake him just yet.

I softly slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Pony, and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my hips before stepping out and heading for the kitchen, where I found my oldest brother cooking eggs in a frying pan, a plate of toasts next to him on the counter. I reached for a piece, but Darry smacked my hand away.

"Not yet, go put some clothes on for starters," he snapped, staring at my nearly naked state and my dripping hair.

"Good morning to you too!" I sassed back, flashing him one of my usual smiles before turning to go back to Pony and I's room.

"And wake up Ponyboy while you're there," Darry cried from the kitchen. "He's got school today, Two-Bit is supposed to pick him up!"

I walked into Pony and I's room and dressed in my DX uniform, Ponyboy still motionless under the blankets. I sat down on the bed next to him and stroked his left shoulder gently.

"Pony?" I called.

No answer. I shook his shoulder gently, and that's when he frowned and let out a tired groan.

"Wake up, Pony, you got school today."

Another groan, louder this time.

"Don't make me tickle you," I threatened playfully.

He instantly squirmed away to the other side of the bed, his eyes still closed, a smile edging onto his face.

"Hey, Darry!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"I think Pony needs help waking up over here," I added in a knowing voice.

Darry seemed to understand what I meant because seconds later, he was erupting into the room, a devilish grin on his face.

Before Pony could escape, he found himself trapped in Darry's grip while I tickled him mercilessly. All three of us were laughing hysterically. Pony let out a scream through his laughter, tears forming in his eyes.

"Uncle!" he managed to yell.

Darry released him and so did I. He took a few minutes to regain his breath before jumping on me and starting to tickle me, taking me by surprise. Darry laughed, shook his head in discouragement and walked out of the room to go finish breakfast.

*Pony's POV*

"Pony, breakfast is ready!" called Darry from the kitchen.

"Coming!" I yelled from the bathroom.

I had showered, dressed, greased my hair back and was now looking desperately in the mirror for a hint of beard on my chin, which turned out to be a disappointing quest.

I sighed and walked out into the kitchen, where Soda and Darry were already sat around the table, Soda eating like he would never see food again, as usual.

"When's the gang picking me up?" I asked, sitting down next to Soda, facing Darry.

"Two-Bit said he would be here at half past seven, which means he'll probably arrive around eight," answered Soda.

Just then, I heard the screen door slam and the familiar voices of the rest of our gang. I looked at the clock on the wall, which read eight o'clock exactly. I smirked at Soda and seconds later, Two-Bit, Steve, Dally and Johnny erupted into the kitchen in their usual racket.

"Gooooood morning, Curtis residence!" yelled Two-Bit at the top of his lungs in a game show animator type of voice, opening the fridge and reaching for a beer.

"Before school, Two-Bit?" asked Darry, nudging to the bottle Two-Bit was now holding.

"What? I'm thirsty," he said, flipping open the beer cap with his bare hands before taking a big gulp as I yawned in front of my plate.

"You could use a cup of coffee, kid!" sneered Steve, nodding towards me.

"Cut it out, Steve," I snapped, not wanting to get involved in any of their games, especially if Steve started it.

"Now, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning my poor fellow? Or did you stay up all night reading your entire library for the 42nd time?" Two-Bit said in a fake sympathetic voice.

"43rd, actually," I answered, earning me a few laughs from the gang.

"A sharp one!" Two-Bit smirked. "Where for art thou, Romeo!" he shouted in an overly dramatic voice as he made his way to the trash can to throw away his already empty beer bottle.

"So, what's new on the Socs side, Dal?" asked Darry. "Something we should know about?"

Dallas Winston always knew everything there was to know about the getting and goings around town, his bonding with Tim Shepard and the other gangs around making him somewhat of an informant.

"Nothing much, man," Dally answered, shrugging. "No one in the neighborhood has been jumped since the second semester started. Oh, and there's two new kids in town, a guy and some chick, they moved on the west side of town a few weeks ago. They're starting school today, I think."

"New kids?" asked Darry.

"You heard. The guy must be about Soda's age, and the chick about Pony's age. I don't know their names though. Apparently they're from Canada or someplace up north, probably sleigh-dog riders or some shit," answered Dally.

I frowned. New kids in Tulsa were unusual. Although this was a pretty big town, most people who moved here lived in the middle class neighborhood. Usually the west side was reserved to families with big businesses that were passed on from generation to generation and had settled in Tulsa years ago. New people on the west or the east side of town were somewhat of a phenomenon, especially in the middle of the school year.

I figured this wasn't important. Even if there _were_ new kids on the west side of town, what did we care? It's not like they'll have anything to do with us anyway.

How very wrong I was.

"Guys, you better hurry up, you're gonna be late!" Darry said, suddenly noticing the time.

I snapped out of my thoughts, cleaned up my plate real quick before grabbing my backpack and following the rest of the gang out the door and into Two-Bit's old souped up car.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I woke up and it was still dark outside. It took me a while to recognize where I was. You know that weird feeling you get when you sleep over at your friend's place and you wake up and you're disoriented for a few moments? That happened to me pretty much every single morning since I arrived in Tulsa. I don't think I'll ever be able to call this place home.

I propped myself on my elbows and looked at my alarm clock on my bedside table. Five o'clock. I sighed. I flopped back on my pillows and tried to fall back asleep, in vain. Today was my first day of school in Tulsa. The only thought made my stomach churn uncomfortably and I knew I was not going to get any sleep whatsoever.

I sat up in my bed, and my mind wandered to my old life. The life where I felt I belonged. I used to live in a small town in Canada, where I was happy. About two months ago from now, my parents were killed in a car wreck, and my brother, Jake, and I had to come and live here with our aunt and uncle, our last living relatives. They were really nice, but they also owned a ranch, which kept them very busy and not very present.

We arrived around here in mid-april, three weeks ago. Some paperwork and registration had to be done with the school, so we couldn't join classes until today, so most of the time, my brother and I wandered the streets of the abnormally warm city, trying to familiarize ourselves with the tiniest similarities we could find between this life and our old life. All this wandering around led me to meet this guy called Bob Sheldon and his gang of friends. We hung out together a few times in my first week here, him being intrigued by the fact that I was new, which was probably a rarity for someone who was used to seeing the same old skanks from kindergarden everyday, if you know what I mean, and about a week and a half ago, we started dating. He's really nice, and really charming, except when he gets drunk. I'd seen him drunk last weekend and it wasn't pretty. He would get violent and dangerous, which kind of made me fear him. He seemed to please my aunt and uncle though, so I would just bear that part of him. Anything to make my uncle and my aunt believe that I'm adapting quickly to this place.

I was soon introduced to the different aspects of life in Tulsa. Bob and I would go on car rides almost every night in the past two weeks, and sometimes, if his friends were with us, he would show me the east side of town. Apparently, this was the place you didn't want to be in. Those were the people you wanted to stay away from. They were poor greasers who would jump at the first occasion to steal your purse or anything they may be able to sell. I made sure to keep that in mind the first time Bob told me about this. I was really scared, but Bob promised he would protect me against those greasers.

I looked around my bedroom. That was probably the only thing I actually liked about this place, aside from Bob of course. I was allowed to decorate it as I wished, but I decided to keep it that way. It had a country, vintage vibe, just like the rest of the house, but it had a feminine touch to it, the bedspread covered with old-fashioned red and pink flowers. The room was big and there was even a seat next to the window where I could watch the sunset every night, like I always loved to do back in Canada. This room could somewhat remind me of home.

I accepted the fact that I was not going back to sleep and decided to get up. I locked myself in my private bathroom and showered, combed through my black hair, applied makeup and got dressed in the clothes my uncle and my aunt bought for me when I arrived. All the other girls on the west side were wearing similar outfits. Straight knee-length skirts with matching sweaters or cardigans. I would've probably liked them better if I was allowed to wear pants every now and then around the house, or even stay in my nightgown, but that was out of the question, our aunt and uncle made it clear from the moment we stepped in the door. Since our aunt and uncle owned a ranch, many businessmen and jockeys came in and out the house, and we had to always look presentable, like any kid on the west side.

"Mary Jane, breakfast is ready!" called Aunt Gemma from the bottom of the stairs, making me jump.

"I'm coming!" I called back. My green eyes met my reflection for one last time. I was skinny. Too skinny even. I was working on getting some curves, but it was a slow process. I sighed one last time and made my way out of my bedroom.

I made my way down the stairs and into the huge dining room, where my brother already was, sitting in front of a plate of eggs and bacon, dressed in beige pants and a Madras shirt, like all the other Socs. I sat down next to him in front of my own plate and began eating through my nervous stomachache.

"So, Mary Jane, how's your relationship with Bob going?" Aunt Gemma asked with a smile.

Aunt Gemma and Uncle Frank always insisted on calling me by my full name, despite my attempts to try to get them to call me Mary. I gave up a while ago.

"It's going well," I answered, telling her what she wanted to hear. She seemed satisfied by my answer.

We finished breakfast in silence. I barely had time to empty my plate before I heard a car horn coming from outside. Bob was picking up Jake and I for school this morning. Jake and I both jumped from our chairs and went to grab our leather school bags. Uncle Frank must've noticed my nervousness because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it before I could make it out the door. He gave me an encouraging smile.

"Just stay away from greasers and you'll be fine, Mary Jane," he said.

I nodded and smiled at him, though this was not reassuring me one bit. As I sat down in the passenger seat next to my boyfriend, planting a kiss on his cheek to my brother's disgust, I figured I didn't have anything to worry about. If I stuck with Bob's gang, I'd be just fine. It's not like I'll ever have anything to do with any greasers whatsoever. The thought of them made my skin crawl. There was no reason to think that I could possibly get involved in anything those poor kids were doing around town.

How very wrong I was.


	2. First Day of School

**A/N: Hey guys! **

**Okay, so I intended on updating this week, but I had exams throughout the whole week at school which made me go slightly nuts! Besides, I'm directing The Outsiders at school this year as a play, but my Ponyboy ditched me a few weeks ago, and I ended up replacing him with a Freshman, but he's never done theater before so he needs lots of work to get to that depth that we need for Ponyboy! So those were my top priorities.**

**But, anyway, on a more cheerful note, I survived! So enough chit-chat, here's the second chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Shoutout to Shattered Aura for the awesome guidance! (No seriously, she's awesome, go check out her fanfics and stuff, her writing is awesome). Reviews are highly appreciated! :) - Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

We pulled up in Will Rogers High School's parking lot. I grabbed my leather bag by the handle and stepped out of the car. I met my boyfriend in front of the car and he grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You're gonna be fine, baby," he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled at him. When he wasn't drunk or anything, Bob was a a true gentleman. He really had a way of getting me to relax easily. Jake had spotted his group of friends he made over by a red Corvair at the other end of the lot and he waved at us as he made his way towards them.

"Come on, let's go inside, we're supposed to meet the guys there," he said, flashing one of his smiles.

He led me by the hand through the front doors of the massive and slightly intimidating building.

"How am I supposed to know where my classes are?" I asked, trying to hide my worry.

"I'll walk you from class to class until you get the hang of it, don't worry 'bout it," Bob answered.

The hall was loud and filled with teenagers talking excitedly. Bob nodded towards the familiar faces of Randy, David and the others in the corner of the room, the first one accompanied by his girlfriend, Marcia, who was really nice, although she wasn't very smart.

We cut through the crowd to try and get to them. Bob was leading, but I made sure I kept a firm grip on his hand, to make sure I didn't get lost. We were about halfway through the crowd when it happened. I ran into someone, and Bob and I's hands were pulled apart and I nearly fell to the floor.

"Sorry about that," a small voice said. I turned around to see who it was and my blood froze.

The guy I bumped into was very small, with darker skin and black eyes. He was wearing an old jean jacket and his hair was heavily greased. He was flanked by two tall greasers, the first one wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, the other one, a mean look on his face, like his face was frozen like that. Behind them, two other greasers were looking at me, one of them had his hair greased in complicated swirls. The last one seemed to be the youngest, about my age, with auburn hair and greenish-grey eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. They were terrifying. Luckily, Bob realized what was going on and stepped in at the right moment, throwing his arms around my shoulders.

"Hey, watch where you're walking, greasers!" he snarled in a threatening voice. He was about to drag me along with him when the youngest one spoke.

"Wait! You dropped that," he said, handing me my bag.

I was about to say thanks, but I held back. They were greasers, after all. I turned around and followed Bob to his group of friends.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Look in your bag if they stole anything."

I opened up all the pouches and looked inside for all my belongings. Everything seemed to be in place, except for one thing.

"The picture of my family in Canada," I told Bob. "It was in the outside pocket of my bag, it's not there anymore."

"Filthy greasers," cursed Bob. He started back towards the greasers, but Randy grabbed his wrist.

"Bob, they wouldn't've stolen a picture," Randy said reasonably. "It probably just fell out of the bag."

Bob was about to answer that he didn't think so but the bell rang, interrupting him.

"Come on, let's go," said Randy, dragging Bob and I along.

After we stopped by the office to grab my class schedule, we followed the crowd of people down the hall. As we were walking, Bob was slowly calming down.

"Hey, you guys wanna hang out after school?" Bob said. "Hunt some action or something."

Everybody agreed.

"The girlfriends wanna join?" he added, acknowledging Marcia and I.

"I don't think Aunt Gemma will mind, as long as I'm home for dinner," I answered, smiling up at my boyfriend. Marcia agreed.

"Oh, and by the way, don't worry about the greasers we met earlier," Bob said. "They most likely won't be in your classes, they're too dumb to be in advanced classes like us."

He winked at me and I laughed lightly.

Bob's predictions turned out to be false though. I didn't have any of the guys in my classes… except for the auburn-haired one. He was in my English class and my History class in the morning. He probably was a smart cookie, but I wasn't about to admit that. I found out that his name was Ponyboy, which I thought was hilarious.

The lunch bell rang and I ran out the door to be met by Bob, waiting for me outside the History classroom, leaning against the wall. He took my hand in his and we made our way down the hall to go grab lunch in the cafeteria.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I was sitting at a random desk at the back of my Science class, not wanting to draw attention to me. That was something I learned from my years in Tulsa. You never wanted to be the center of attention when you're one of the only greasers in a bunch of Socs, so I would sit in the back of classrooms and keep to myself, most of the time.

I looked up and that's when I saw her for the fourth time today. She quickly glanced at me before turning her attention on the floor as she made her way to the teacher's desk, holding a note in her hand.

That Mary Jane girl was a real looker. She had long, wavy black hair and greenish-blue eyes. She was skinnier than most of the girls at school, but that didn't stop her from looking good. She sort of reminded of Audrey Hepburn, that actress that starred in a movie I saw a few years ago with Johnny. What was it again? Breakfast at Tiffany's?

The sound of the bell snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my attention to the old man standing in front of the class, Mary Jane standing slightly awkwardly next to him. The conversations slowly died down.

"Good afternoon, class!" greeted the man. "Now, before we start, I would like to introduce you to Mary Jane Evans, she's a new student who just moved here from Canada, **(I'm from Michigan.)** she's gonna finish this year with us. I'm sure you will all help her feel welcome."

He turned towards her.

"Mary Jane, you can sit next to Ponyboy, in the back," he smiled.

My heart gave a little leap. Of course, the chair next to mine was the only one available. I didn't dare to look up as I heard her sit down in the chair next to me. She took a notebook out of her bag and began writing something in it. I risked a look at her. From profile, she wasn't pretty. She was breathtaking. She had finely drawn cheekbones and in her eyes, there was a strange mixture of softness, innocence and bravery, and all I kept thinking about was how I would like to draw her picture.

I wanted to say something, but what? She was a Socy girl, I was a greaser. Even though she was new around town, she was probably warned about us.

"It's not polite to stare," she hissed, not even looking at me.

I froze. Was I really staring at her for that long? I quickly looked down on my textbook, feeling myself going red in the face. Mary Jane didn't say anything nor talked to me for the rest of the period until the bell rang, and before I knew it, she was out the door.


	3. Johnny Gets Jumped

**A/N: PLEASE READ!**

**Hello. Okay, so I've re-written a few parts of the first two chapters. Nothing major, just some minor chronological details for it to fit the future events of the story. I strongly recommend you re-read them quickly, but if you don't want to do that, basically the story starts on May 2, 1966, and Mary moved in mid-April, and she moves in the middle of the year instead of at the beginning. The Curtis parents have been dead for 3 months and Mary has to sit next to Ponyboy at the back of Science class because it's the only seat available. Those are basically the only details that I can think of that have been changed.**

**Enjoy this chapter! Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated! :) Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

The clock had struck four, and Bob and I were making our way down the front steps of the school in Tulsa's hot sun. From afar, I spotted Bob's gang, leaning against the blue Mustang, waiting for us.

"See? It wasn't so bad," Bob said, squeezing my hand.

"No it wasn't," I agreed. "Except for that filthy greaser I have in three of my classes."

I had told Bob already about how that Pony kid kept staring at me. I was slowly understanding even more why I should hate greasers. They weren't just poor, violent thieves. They were creeps.

"Mary!" called a familiar voice behind me.

I turned around only to be met by Jake, making his way towards me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Hanging around town with Bob," I answered. "Do you have a way to get home?"

"Yeah, Mason will give me a lift," he nodded towards the red Corvair, where five of Jake's friends were already waiting.

"Alright, I'll see you later!" I said. "Tell Aunt Gemma I'll be home for dinner, will you?"

"Sure," he said and we left our separate ways.

We reached the gang and everyone piled in my boyfriend's Mustang. Him, Randy, Marcia and I up front, David and the three others in the back seat. Bob started the car and we joined the other cars waiting in line to get out of the parking lot.

"So, where are we going?" asked Bob.

"Let's stop by Dairy Queen first, I'm starving," David called from the back seat.

"Dairy Queen, it is," Bob muttered under his breath.

Bob made his way out of the parking lot. All the boys in the back were talking and laughing loudly, while Marcia and I exchanged a bit, but it was just slightly awkward, most of the time. I wasn't really her friend. I knew she hung out with this redheaded cheerleader at lunch, when she wasn't with Randy.

We stopped by Dairy Queen a few minutes later, and Bob bought me an ice cream cone. We sat on the tables outside, since it was a very warm, sunny day. A few other Socs were there, but no greasers, thankfully. We were having a great time, joking around and laughing. At one point, Bob smeared some ice cream on my nose, and when I pretended to be offended, he kissed to tip of my nose to clean it off, making everyone around us groan in disgust, which only made us laugh.

"Come on now, let's go hunt some action," Bob said after everyone was done, making our way back to the car.

The sun was getting lower in the sky. We were driving for a while after I realized where we were going. The east side.

"Bob, where are we going?" I asked, slowly getting nervous.

"Hunting some action, I said," Bob repeated, and even though I was worried, I didn't dare ask more. The boys in the back had stopped their racket and were now smiling dangerously.

We passed a DX gas station. The people walking on the sidewalks looked tough. Their hair was greased and the girls were wearing clothes my aunt and uncle would never allow in the house. Let's just say the skirts were everything but knee-length. I was starting to regret not going home with Jake.

Bob must've noticed my nervous state because he rested his hand full of rings on my knee.

"Relax, baby," he said. "We're not gonna get in trouble."

For the first time, it didn't reassure me one bit.

"Look, over there," Randy called, pointing towards an empty field ahead of us.

A small greaser was walking by his lonesome across the field. He had jet black hair and I instantly recognized him as the greaser I bumped into earlier. Bob recognized him too, and I caught myself wishing he wouldn't've.

"Guys, why don't we go and politely ask him if he stole Mary's picture?" asked Bob, and the others burst out laughing. I looked over at Marcia, and she looked suddenly tense.

"Bob, it's not necessary, really, I have other ones at home," I lied.

I didn't have any, but I was getting really nervous and I just really wanted to get home at this point.

"Don't worry, baby, it's not like we'll kill him or anything," Bob said, and by the tone of his voice, I seriously doubted that.

Bob left the road, cut across the field and stopped a few feet in front of the greaser, forcing him to stop. His eyes went wide.

"You stay inside ladies, and enjoy the show," David called from the back seat.

All the boys stepped outside and circled the small greaser before he could run away. I saw them talking for a bit, then the small greasers being pushed to the ground by Bob and being held down by the others while Bob sat on his chest, his knees pressed down on the greaser's elbows, which looked painful. My heart was pounding in my chest. I saw my boyfriend lift his fist, three huge rings glittering, and I looked away, unable to watch anymore.

I tried to shut myself out, but I couldn't help hearing the sound of skin hitting skin, the cracking of bones. It seemed to go on forever. But eventually, the screams turned to small whimpers and occasional yelps. The voice of Randy was heard out of the blue.

"Stop it, Bob! You'll kill him!"

All of a sudden, the blows stopped. I risked a look, and I nearly puked.

The greaser was now unrecognizable. He was barely conscious, his face was bruised and bloody. There was a wide gash under his eye, probably from my boyfriend's rings. Blood was splattered across his shirt. Bob leaned down on him and the greaser winced away. Bob whispered something in his ear. He lifted himself off the greaser, and the latter didn't make any move to get up. David lifted him off the ground by his shirt and two other guys ripped the boy's jean jacket off and threw it across the field. David let go of the shirt and the boy fell to the ground with a hard thud, whimpering slightly, and curling up in a fetal position.

The boys regained the car after giving one last kick to the boy's side, ignoring my petrified looks. I looked over at Marcia and she was as white as I felt. They left and as Bob drove home, to the other side of town, I risked a glance at him. His traits were relaxed and he looked like the boy I fell in love with, but a glance at the greaser's drying blood on Bob's knuckles and rings proved me wrong. He was a monster, I thought.

I suddenly wished wildly for home.

XxX

Pony's POV:

Steve and I had dropped over at the DX after school, right after Steve stopped by his place to grab his car, which needed an oil change. Soda had bought me a Coke while he finished working on cars. It was slowly getting dark and chilly. We had to leave Steve's car at the station, so we were walking home.

We were passing the lot when Steve noticed something lying on the ground. He picked it up. it was Johnny's jean jacket.

"Looks like Johnny forgot his jacket," Steve said, slinging it over his shoulder to take it by Johnny's house.

Suddenly he stopped and examined it more carefully. There was a stain the color of rust across the collar. He looked up and across the field with a stricken expression on his face. I think we all heard the low moan and saw the dark motionless hump on the other side of the lot at the same time.

Soda reached him first. Johnny was lying in fetal position, his back facing us. Soda turned him over. I nearly got sick.

We were used to seeing Johnny banged up - his father clobbered him around a lot. But nothing like this.

Johnny's face was cut up and bruised and swollen, and there was a wide gash from his temple to his cheekbone. His white T-shirt was splattered with blood. I just stood there, trembling with sudden cold. Steve closed his eyes for a second and muffled a groan as he dropped on his knees beside Soda.

Somehow the gang sensed what had happened. Two-Bit was suddenly there beside me, and for once his comical grin was gone and his grey eyes were stormy. Darry had seen us from our porch and was running toward us. Dally was there, too, swearing under his breath, and turning away with a sick expression on his face.

"Johnny?" Soda lifted him up and held him against his shoulder. He gave the limp body a little shake.

Johnny didn't open his eyes, but there came a soft question.

"Soda?"

"Yeah, it's me," Sodapop said. "Don't talk. You're gonna be okay."

"There was a whole bunch of them," Johnny went on, swallowing, ignoring Soda's command. "A blue Mustang full… I got so scared…"

He tried to swear, but suddenly started crying, fighting to control himself, then sobbing all the more because he couldn't. Soda just held him and pushed Johnny's hair back out of his eyes.

"It's okay, Johnnycake, they're gone now. It's okay."

Darry leaned over and picked up a sobbing Johnny off the ground, lifting him into his arms.

"You're staying at our place tonight, Johnnycake," Darry said simply, carrying Johnny to our house.

The whole gang followed him, Dally running ahead to hold the door open. Darry walked in the house and laid Johnny on the couch as we piled into the living room. The fact that Johnny was still crying almost hysterically made Darry really worried.

"Pone, get me the first-aid kit," he said, not even looking up. "Soda, get me a bowl of warm water and a cloth. Dal, go get the sewing kit from Mom and Dad's room."

I ran to the bathroom, where the first-aid kit was, and grabbed it with trembling fingers. I made my way back to the living room as Soda was coming back from the kitchen with the bowl and Dally with the sewing kit. We all settled down around the couch as Darry was bending over Johnny.

"What hurts, Johnnycake?" asked Darry.

"Face... ribs..." Johnny gasped out through his tears.

Darry soaked the cloth in the warm water and wrung it before starting to clean Johnny's face. Sodapop had sat down next to Johnny's ear, whispering sweet nothings, trying to get him to calm down.

Johnny's face looked better once all the blood and the dirt was cleaned up. Most of the cuts weren't that bad, except for that wide cut along his cheekbone.

"Dal, can you stitch that up?" Darry asked to Dally.

"Sure thing, Dar," Dally answered, getting up from his spot as Darry and Soda stepped back.

Dally had to learn the hard way how to do stitches in the streets of New York, and he was now what we could call an expert. He was the best person qualified to stitch the gang members up whenever we got in a fight with Socs, after a doctor of course, but God knows we could never afford that.

Dallas grabbed a cotton pad from the first-aid kit and soaked it in rubbing alcohol.

"This might sting a little, Johnny," he warned. Johnny nodded, trying to be brave.

Dally proceeded to disinfect the cut, making Johnny wince and whimper slightly. Dally then grabbed the sewing kit and pulled out a needle and thread. He placed a hand on the side of Johnny's face to make him turn his head. He pierced the skin next to the wound with the needle and Johnny yelped.

"It's alright, Johnnycake," Dallas said in a soft voice that was totally out of character for him.

He finished stitching up Johnny's wound as quickly as he could and he placed medical tape on top. He then stepped back and let Darry finish.

Said boy flicked out a switchblade and carefully cut through Johnny's T-shirt. There was a big bruise forming on his side.

"Can someone get an ice pack?" Darry asked over his shoulder.

Steve stood up and walked into the kitchen and came out seconds after with the ice pack. He handed it to my brother. Darry gently pressed it down on Johnny's side and held it in place.

Johnny had stopped crying by then. I was still shaken. I was dying to ask him who it was and what had cut him, but I knew now was not the time. From the look on my buddy's face, I knew for a fact that no one was ever going to beat him again. Not over his dead body.


	4. Drama & Breakup

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**Sorry for the long wait, I had a bad case of writer's block. This chapter was hard to write for some reason. Still hope you enjoy!**

**In response to a review by Anon: Thank you so much for the constructive criticism! It's highly appreciated, it motivates me to write better. :) The stereotypes are intentional, because (for now), Mary sees greasers in a very stereotypical way, and I wanted to highlight that through my writing. You'll see how the characters develop through the story! ;) As for the quotations, I didn't even know that was incorrect! I'm French, and this type of quotation, "-", is used in French to open a sentence. I didn't even know it was incorrect in English, so thank you for pointing it out! I corrected it in previous chapters! Thank you for your review! :)**

**Please review and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome! :) Stay gold. x**

XxX

_May 4, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

It had been two days since I'd seen Bob and his gang beat up that greaser, and the scene still played vividly in my mind when I was awake, and in my dreams when I was asleep. He wasn't at school yesterday, so it was somewhat of a relief to see him standing in the hall with his gang when I walked through the front doors of the school.

He still had a black eye, a big bruise across his left cheek, but the wide gash across his cheekbone had been stitched up. I could tell though, just by the way he looked around and jumped at loud noises that he was even more nervous than he had looked the first time I'd bumped into him. I had overheard them talking as I walked past them and that's how I found out his name was Johnny.

Things had changed since that night, two days ago. I was starting to question what Bob had told me. I just didn't know what to believe anymore. I found myself trying to avoid Bob. I couldn't chase out of my mind the monster I had seen him become. That monster seemed to be hiding behind every smiles, every sweet nothings. Even now, as I was picking up my books for my first class in front of my locker, the horrible sounds of bones cracking and skin hitting skin replayed in my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to shut them out, but they wouldn't leave.

"Mary Jane?" asked a deep, unfamiliar voice behind me.

I jumped out of my skin and quickly spun around. A boy was standing next to my locker. He was dressed like a Soc, with golden blonde hair and glasses. I had never seen him before, but he seemed to be about Bob's age.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" he went on.

"Don't worry about it," I shrugged, confused as to why a total stranger was suddenly talking to me.

"My name's Ethan, I'm president of the drama club," he went on.

"Pleasure," I responded, getting more and more confused.

"Anyway, um, we're putting on a play this year, and the girl who got the lead role just broke her leg. The show is in a month, and we need to find someone to replace her. There's not many girls willing to take on such a big role, and, well, I was wondering if you might be interested in drama, since you're new and all."

My heart leapt up in my chest. Theater. I was in my school's drama club in Canada in the two years preceding the accident. Theater was my passion. I loved it, and leaving the group behind was one of the most heartbreaking things about leaving Canada. I had told myself I could sign up for the drama club next year in Tulsa, but I never thought about this year, figuring it was too late to sign up for anything.

"I… I don't know what to say…" I stuttered. "I'd like that, but do I have time to learn everything until then?"

"Look, we have rehearsals until six after school, if you wanna come and check it out and we could see what you can do," Ethan suggested.

"Alright, I'll be there!"

"Sounds swell! See you later, then!"

As he walked away, I smiled to myself. As I was making my way to my English class, I suddenly felt one step closer to home.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I walked out of English class after the sound of the bell, lost in thoughts. The whole gang was still pretty shook up about what had happened to Johnny. Everyone made sure he was never left alone at school, and he didn't complain. Our lockers were in alphabetical order, so when I stopped by my locker to grab my books for Math class, Johnny was there, grabbing his books for his next class only a few lockers away.

"Hey, Johnny," I greeted when I passed him.

Johnny jumped, wheeled around and flicked out a six-inch switchblade, breathing heavily. My eyes widened in shock.

"Johnny, it's me," I said, suddenly not recognizing my best buddy.

Johnny relaxed as fast as he had freaked out. He breathed deeply and flicked his switchblade back in his pocket.

"Sorry, man," he said.

"What was that all about?" I questioned, nudging towards his pocket where he put his switchblade. "Where the hell did you get that?"

"From my folks's room," Johnny shrugged.

"Johnny, you can't carry that around, especially in sch-"

"I don't care!" Johnny interrupted. "I can't take another beating Pony, I just can't! I swear I'll kill the next person who tries to lay his hands on me!"

I had seen Johnny jumpy before, his home situation not exactly what you could call adequate, but never this jumpy. Only Dally carried a switchblade around with him, although Two-Bit was planning on stealing one he saw from a store the other day, so it was a surprise to see Johnny carrying one around.

Before I could say anything, Two-Bit, who was making his way across the hall, stopped by Johnny's locker.

"Come on Johnnycake, we're lab partners in Chemistry, remember?" he said, his usual grin plastered on his face.

"Coming," Johnny answered, closing his locker door. "See ya later, Pone."

I made my way over to my locker as Two-Bit and Johnny cut through the crowd to get to their Chemistry class. I was picking up my Math textbook when I heard a familiar voice, a few lockers away to my right. My heart did his usual somersault. Mary Jane.

From the corner of my eye, I could see that she was not alone. Her boyfriend, Bob, was there, and they seemed to be in a heated argument. I knew I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I was too curious not to listen. I pretended I wasn't paying attention to avoid drawing attention on me and listened carefully.

"… I don't know Bob…"

"What's the matter? Mary, you haven't been the same since school started, I don't know what's got into you, but…"

"Look, just forget it, okay?"

"Mary, if it's something I did, I'm sorry…"

Mary laughed sarcastically.

"You really have no idea, Bob? Are you serious?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Monday, after school, you know damn well, Bob!"

"Are you really gonna make a big deal out of this?"

"As a matter of fact, I will!"

"Babe, please…"

"Don't call me that! Don't come see me after class. We're done."

"And who are you gonna hang out with? You have nobody else, Mary, face it."

"Go to hell, Robert."

I heard her locker door slam and the sound of her heels walking away. I closed my own locker door and made my way to my Math class, slightly startled by what I heard. I brushed it off when I sat down at my desk, thinking this was some stupid couple fight. It's not like I've never seen Soda fight with Sandy, or Steve with Evie. I brushed it off and by the time the bell rang, my mind was clear of thoughts.


	5. The Surprise

**A/N: Hey guys! I just really wanted to apologize for my short leave, I was so incredibly busy. Imagine having two lead roles in two different musicals while directing a play at the same time! I'm basically going nuts! It's been hard to try to find time to write, but I finally did this weekend. I can't really promise when the next chapter's gonna be up, because I'm still running everywhere, but I'll try to update as soon as possible! Thank you so much for your patience. Stay gold.**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

"You can't be serious."

"Oh I most certainly am."

"I can't believe you're actually doing this. I mean, Bob's a good guy."

I sighed. The final bell had rung, and I was dropping my books at my locker, getting ready for the rehearsal after school when Marcia had stopped by. She must've found out through Randy or David or anyone else about what happened with Bob. I closed my locker door and turned to face her.

"Look, Marcia, I have to go. Maybe you're right. Bob most likely is a good guy, but I just can't forget about the monster he became that night, and the blood on his knuckles and…"

I took a deep breath. I had to stop myself.

"I have to go, Randy's waiting for me," Marcia shrugged, looking slightly hurt. "See you around, I guess."

I watched her leave towards the school entrance before turning in the opposite direction to make my way to the auditorium, silently wiping away a tear. Bob was right. I was losing Marcia and the others, and I didn't have anyone else.

XxX

*Steve's POV*

Two-Bit, Johnny and I were trying to cut through the crowd of teens rushing to their lockers. I was trying to tell Two-Bit to move it, since I was working at the DX after school and I needed a ride there, but he couldn't hear me over a group of annoying girls talking loudly to each other. Finally, the crowd thinned out as we reached Ponyboy's locker. He looked up and cocked one eyebrow when he saw us, a trick he picked up from Two-Bit.

"What are y'all doing here?" he asked, confusion in his voice.

"Oh hey there, Pony! How lovely it is to see you too, you filthy greaser!" yelled Two-Bit, ruffling Pony's hair, automatically messing them up.

"Cut it out, Two-Bit," Pony said, slapping his hand away.

"It's always about the hair, isn't it?" teased Two-Bit, but handing Pony a comb anyway, which Pony picked up. He fixed his hair with an expert hand before handing it back to Two-Bit.

"Seriously, what are y'all doing here?" he asked again, rummaging through his locker. "You know I got track practice 'till five."

"Don't you use that brain of yours?" said Two-Bit. "It's Wednesday, remember? Darry always works late on Wednesdays, so we're gonna drop Steve at the DX, then we're coming back to pick you up at five."

"Alright," Pony answered, not asking further questions. "Say hi to Soda for me!" he called behind his shoulder, running towards the gym as we turned in the opposite direction.

I rolled my eyes. Soda and Pony had this bond I could never understand, if it was the other way around, Soda would've said the same thing. I always thought the kid was a tagalong, but Soda keeps thinking he's the best thing ever and basically brings him everywhere with him.

"Move it, Stevie!" Two-Bit called, climbing into the driver's seat of his poor excuse of a car.

"I'm comin'," I mumbled, climbing into the seat next to him, Johnny sitting in the back. "You know it only take five minutes to get to the DX? What are you gonna do 'till five? You ain't staying at the DX and trashing the place like last time."

"Don't worry Stevie, we have other plans, right Johnny?" Two-Bit answered cheerfully, leaving a hint of a smile on Johnny's face.

"What kinds of plans? You're not gonna flirt around with Shepard's chicks again, aren't you? Last time, I swear he was about to knock out your teeth, man…"

"Don't worry 'bout that, we're reporting for spying duties," Two-Bit said mischievously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, getting more and more confused.

Two-Bit sighed dramatically, as though this was obvious.

"You know that good-looking broad who just moved into town on the Socy side?"

"Yeah, what 'bout her?" I was plain lost by then.

"Well, according to Soda, Pony hasn't been able to shut up 'bout her in the past few days. Apparently she's in like, three of his classes, and I found out from a very reliable source that she's staying after school for some cheesy drama club rehearsal, so I'm gonna see what kind of chick we're dealing with here."

I rolled my eyes. Two-Bit was probably gonna sneak into the auditorium and spy on the girl, then make up an opinion about her and have some kind of sex talk with the kid to scare the shit out of him. I smiled to myself. I was going to make sure I was there when that happened. I wouldn't wanna miss that for anything in the world.

XxX

Mary's POV:

I stumbled into Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma's house somewhere around six o'clock. I had forgotten to call them to tell them about the rehearsal. Aunt Gemma was in the dining room, serving plates for Uncle Frank and Jake, already sat at the table. All three raised their eyes at me as I stepped into the room.

"Just in time for dinner," Aunt Gemma smiled, serving a generous portion of potatoes to Uncle Frank.

"Where were you?" said man asked.

"I was at school," I answered honestly.

"Well, why don't you go upstairs, drop your books, wash your hands and change for dinner?" Aunt Gemma asked with a warm smile, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me gently towards the stairs.

I did as I was told, left my books on my desk, washed my hands, and quickly changed into a light pink dress before running back downstairs to join the rest of the family for dinner. As I sat down, my uncle started asking questions.

"Why did you stay after school, again?"

"Well this boy, Ethan, told me there was a spot opening for the drama club, so I stayed after school to audition and I got it!" I explained, getting really excited.

"Honey, that's great!" Aunt Gemma complimented. "Which production is it this year?"

"Oklahoma," I answered.

"Oh, I've heard about that musical," Aunt Gemma said. "Did Bob give you a ride home?"

I stiffened. They didn't know I had left Bob earlier that day. I was wondering if I should tell them. Then, I remembered Aunt Gemma and Uncle Frank's look of delight when they found out I was going out with the son of Robert Sheldon Sr. Mr. Sheldon was one of the richest man in town, since he owned one of Tulsa's biggest oil company. The thought of their disappointment hurt like a sting and I decided not to tell them, or at least, to avoid the subject.

"No, Ethan did," I answered, avoiding their looks.

No one asked further questions. Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma began talking about some hay rations they were supposed to receive the next morning to feed the horses. I risked a side look at Jake. He stared right back. I figured he knew something was up about Bob and I, but thankfully, he didn't ask further questions.

"Mary Jane, Jacob, your aunt and I have a surprise for you," Uncle Frank announced, smiling as Aunt Gemma picked up the now empty plates.

"What is it?" Jake asked, intrigued.

"It's a welcome gift, you'll see," he said, standing up. "Follow me."

We followed him as he put on his riding boots and walked out the front door.

"We figured that since you were going to stay with us for a while, we might as well present you with something that will help you feel more at home here," he explained behind his shoulder, as he was walking towards the stables.

I looked at Jake. Was he thinking what I was thinking?

We walked into the stables, where all the horses were eating peacefully. Only then did I notice that the two boxes at the end of the aisle, who were once empty, were now occupied by two horses I had never seen before.

"Meet Zayn," Uncle Frank said, pointing towards the box on the right. "Mary Jane, this one is for you."

I didn't know what to say. Zayn was a jet black, Arabian horse, probably a stallion, judging by his name. He was tall, taller than Munchkin, our thoroughbred. I reached my hand to pet his muzzle over the box door, and he leaned gently into my hand, already appreciating my touch. I was over the moon.

"And this one over there," Uncle Frank continued, pointing this time towards the box on the left, "is for you, Jacob."

There, in the box facing Zayn's, was a gorgeous, buckskin horse, a bit smaller than Zayn.

"He's a pure quarter," Uncle Frank explained. "He technically doesn't have a name yet, but apparently he only responds to Mickey Mouse."

"Thank you so much!" Jake and I said in unison, both throwing ourselves at our uncle's neck.

"My pleasure," Uncle Frank answered. "I promise to teach you how to ride personally, if you don't come home too late from school."

I looked back at Zayn, and I felt something, deep inside of me, something I hadn't felt in so long, I greeted it like an old friend. _Happiness_, I thought. _I was happy._


	6. Dirty Talks & Animal Cells

May_ 5, 1966_

*Dally's POV*

I walked into the Curtis house that morning to find that something was up. Johnny, Two-Bit and Steve were already there. Darry and Soda were doing the dishes, smiling slightly, while Steve was leaning on the counter, laughing openly. Two-Bit was sitting at the kitchen table, apparently talking to Ponyboy and both him and Johnny were turning a bright shade of red. _Another one of Two-Bit's dirty talks_, I smirked, letting the screen door slam behind me as I stepped in.

"Why are you telling me this, Two-Bit, I don't give a damn!"

"Language, Pony."

That was Darry.

"I'm doing this for your own good, kiddo," Two-Bit said solemnly.

"Hey Dal," Johnny called.

"Hey Johnny, man, how you doing?" I asked, patting his back on my way to the refrigerator.

I opened the door and looked inside. I had crashed at Buck's last night 'cause my old man kicked me out, and I didn't get breakfast and I was about starving. I listened from a distracted ear the talk Two-Bit was having with Pony.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Two-Bit cocked one eyebrow towards me. "Mary may seem nice and all, but she's a Soc, and you're a greaser…"

"Who's Mary?" I asked.

"Sleigh-dog-riding chick," Two-Bit explained.

"Right," I nodded.

"As I was saying, you really shouldn't be going around messing with Socy girls, especially when you know it's going nowhere. Imagine trying to have sex with them and.."

"Two-Bit!" Ponyboy whined, turning brick red as Steve openly laughed.

"I'm just saying," Two-Bit went on, completely oblivious of the awkwardness of the conversation, "her parents will never let you go to her house, she'll never want to come here. Your only options are hotels and cars. Hotels are too expensive and you don't know how to drive. This only leaves like alleys and stuff and you better believe that ain't tuff. I once tried getting at it with this chick in an alley and the brick wall was scraping her back. Total mood killer. And once…"

"Okay, okay, Two-Bit! I get it!" Ponyboy shouted. Boy could the kid get any more tomato-like. Steve was doubled in half, holding on to the counter for dear life. Sodapop was laughing too by then.

"Come on guys, you're gonna be late," Darry suddenly said, pointing at the clock, which now read a quarter past eight. "Dal, you going to school?"

"Might as well," I grumbled. "It's not like I have anything else better to do."

XxX

At school, people were scared of me, especially the middle class kids. I knew it from the way they looked at me. From the way it seemed as though we had no trouble cutting through the crowd while everyone else did. It didn't really bother me. As long as they remembered the time I cracked a kid's skull because he was bugging me, I didn't get bothered too much. That little punk deserved it anyway. I was in the cooler for two weeks after that.

We all leaned around Ponyboy and Johnny's lockers while they were picking up their stuff for first period. Two-Bit was telling Steve about that drag race that was happening this weekend when a higher-pitched voice was heard.

"Excuse me, you're in the way."

I looked up. The Canadian chick was there, trying to get to her locker with Two-Bit blocking the way. All I could think of as she slipped by Two-Bit, avoiding our eyes and walking briskly, was how good-looking she was. She would be the kind of girl I'd hit on if she was three or four years older. Black hair contrasting with her green eyes, and very skinny, maybe a bit too much. I smirked. I wanted to see what kind of chick she was and for that, I had to make a move.

"Hey there good-lookin'," I smirked, leaning on the locker on the other side of Pony, closer to hers.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and ignored me. A challenge. I liked that.

"Are all Canadians as fine looking as you, 'cause if so, then I'm packing my bags."

Steve, Two-Bit and even Johnny started sniggering. Ponyboy however, had his head buried in his locker, but you could tell from his bright red ears that he had heard everything.

She didn't answer. She was even tougher than I thought.

"What, are you mute or something?" I asked, taunting her.

"Leave me alone," she hissed from the side of her lips, not even looking at me.

I wasn't about to give up so easily. Ponyboy was apparently digging for hidden treasures in his locker while the rest of the gang was clearly enjoying this. I took one step closer to her, a smirk still plastered on my face.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

That was it. Steve and Two-Bit were now laughing loudly. Mary slammed the door of her locker shut and turned to look at me straight in the eyes, taking me by surprise.

"No it didn't," she snapped, "but it must've hurt when you did, because you clearly fell on your face."

With that, she turned on her heels and left. I looked back at the gang. Everyone was clearly trying no to laugh at Mary's comeback. The bell rang and everyone left in different directions. I smiled to myself. Mary was the new girl in town. She didn't know anything about Dallas Winston, so she couldn't be possibly scared of me.

Maybe I should formally introduce myself next time, I thought.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I sat in the back of Science class, trying to avoid the look of the greaser sitting next to me even more than usual after the events of this morning. I was grateful when the bell rang and Mr. Smith started talking, because that way the greaser was gonna be forced to look away from me. Eventually, I was able to focus on the class, listening carefully to Mr. Smith. He was talking about the animal cell.

"…So this year, in order for you to get a more thorough understanding of the different parts of the animal cell, we're gonna be doing a little project," Mr. Smith said, a few minutes before the bell rang. "I'm gonna ask you to make a model of an animal cell, to hand in on Monday, so you have all weekend to make it. I'm gonna ask you to do the project in pair with the person sitting next to you."

Most people in the class looked happy. I, on the other hand, was horrified. I forced myself to look next to me. Ponyoby looked back. I quickly focused my eyes on my notebook. Boy, could this get any more awkward. I remembered what my Uncle Frank said about greasers and I figured I should go ask the teacher if I could do the project by myself.

The bell rang. I took my time to pick up my books so that by the time I stood up, the classroom was empty, except for the teacher, sitting at his desk, writing on a document. I inhaled nervously and made my way to the teacher's desk.

"How may I help you, Mary Jane?" Mr. Smith asked, not even looking up from his papers.

"I was just wondering if I could do the project by myself," I blurted out.

"Something wrong about doing it in pairs?" Mr. Smith looked up.

"No, well yes," I stuttered. "You see, I don't think my uncle would really approve of me doing a project with a greaser."

"You know what, Mary Jane?" Mr. Smith said sternly. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my classroom. You will do the project with Ponyboy or you will be happy to accept a zero on the project. Now, get on to your last class of the day."

I sighed exasperatedly as I walked out of the classroom. To my dismay, Ponyboy was still there, waiting for me in the hallway.

"So..." he started. "How are we gonna meet up this weekend?"

"I don't know," I answered, not offering any suggestions.

"Maybe you could come over to my place on Saturday and…"

"No way!" I snapped. "Either you come over at my house on Saturday afternoon or you do the project by yourself."

I turned around and walked away briskly before Ponyboy had time to say anything.


	7. The Science Project

**A/N: Hey guys! :)**

**I have a show this weekend with the drama club, so I figured I wouldn't have time to update, so I decided to write two chapters this weekend to kind of compensate. This one's a short one, the shortest one yet. Hope you enjoy! Please leave a review!**

**Stay gold.**

XxX

May 7, 1966

*Mary's POV*

Saturday came too quickly for my liking. I went shopping for the necessary equipment with Aunt Gemma that morning, Ponyboy coming over in the afternoon. I had told my uncle and my aunt about him, and although they were pretty reluctant at first, they agreed that I had to make a decent grade on the project and allowed him to come over, but even now, as I was helping Uncle Frank with the dishes in the kitchen, he was expressing his reluctance.

"You know, I really ought to stay in today," Uncle Frank was saying.

"Why?" I asked, trying to be brave. "He's not going to assault me in my own house, Uncle Frank."

"Especially with Jacob gone for the afternoon…" Uncle Frank started.

Jake was gone out with Mason and his other Socy friends. The same kind of friends I used to have before I broke up with Bob.

I kept pretending everything was fine. I found out yesterday that I had got the role and I was starting rehearsals next week. My uncle had given me my first riding lesson last night. Zayn was a wonderful horse, but as the days went by, Tulsa started getting lonely. I, however, was never going to admit that.

"Is that why you're so worried? Uncle Frank you have a ranch to run, you can't just drop out of your responsibilities because some greaser is coming! He's not going to do anything!"

"I know, but still, I -"

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, it's him I don't trust."

"Well don't worry about him. Go on with your day."

"Alright, I have a meeting in town to get things settled for the show-jumping competition tomorrow, you aunt's coming along and we'll be back late. Are you good to cook dinner for you and Jake?"

"Yeah, of course, I'll manage," I answered.

Just as we were finished with the dishes, Uncle Frank went to put on his riding boots and he was off to the stables. It was only a matter of minutes before the doorbell rang.

"That would be Ponyboy," I told myself out loud, biting my lip nervously.

I ran to the front door, my stomach twisting with nerves. I rested my hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before twisting it.

Ponyboy was standing on the front porch, his auburn hair eternally greased. He looked out of place, instinctively looking behind his shoulder. I felt a sudden surge of hatred towards him. He _was_ out of place. He didn't belong here, or anywhere on the west side of town, and if it hadn't been for my stupid Science teacher, I wouldn't be in this situation.

"Hey," I greeted simply, opening the door and letting him in reluctantly.

"Hey," he greeted back.

"Come on."

As I turned my back to him to lead him to the dining room where all the material was laid out, I couldn't help but notice him from the corner my eye, looking around at the fancy furniture and the high ceilings, mouth slightly agape. I suddenly felt a strange sense of pride towards the house I lived in and the social class in which _I _belonged.

We walked into the dining room and as we awkwardly settled around the table, I decided to get straight to the point.

"Okay, let's not even try to pretend this is a fun little activity," I told him, surprised at how confident I sounded. "I don't feel like pretending to like you today, so if that's sounds all fine and pleasant to you, we're just gonna get this done as quickly as possible, and don't get ideas. I'm doing this with you because I was told to, not because I want to, are we clear?"

"That's fine with me," Ponyboy answered, going slightly pink in the face. "I'm not that fond of you either, as a matter of fact."

I didn't know why, but his reply hit me like a bullet. I wasn't expecting that. I thought surely he liked me, from the way he kept staring at me in class. Or maybe he was lying?

"Anyway," I shrugged, "you work on creating the small parts, I work on assembling them together, alright?"

"Alright," he said, picking up what he needed.

We worked quietly for a while, only talking when truly needed. At one point, I looked up from what I was doing while he was concentrating on his work, and that's when I got a good look at him for the first time.

He had dark auburn hair, who were probably a bit lighter without all the grease, and his eyes were greenish-grey. He was pretty handsome, I secretly thought, although I quickly brushed that thought away, going back to work.

We were a little more than halfway done when the grandfather clock somewhere in the house struck five.

"I'd better get started on dinner," I mumbled, getting up to make my way to the open kitchen. "Jake should be here soon. When's your dad picking you up?"

"Um…" Ponyboy started. He seemed to be hesitating. "About five thirty."

"Alright, well I guess you'll have to watch me cook for a while," I told him. "Do you think you could clean up the table a bit?"

"Sure," he replied.

I started making soup in the kitchen. About fifteen minute later, as it was starting to get more and more uncomfortable between Ponyboy and I, I head the front door open.

"Anybody home?" Jake's familiar voice echoed through the house.

"In here!" I called from my pots. I gave a sideway glance at Ponyboy and I noticed how anxious he had suddenly become when he heard the male voice of my brother.

Jake walked into the dining room, exchanging a quick glance with Ponyboy before walking over to the kitchen.

"How was your day?" he asked, snaking his arms around my waist and pecking my on the cheek.

"Okay, how was yours?" I asked.

"Terrible," he shrugged. "The boys kept wanting to wander on to the east side, looking for trouble with greasers, and -"

He suddenly remembered Ponyboy was hearing all of this and quickly shut his mouth.

"Smells good," he mumbled, opening the refrigerator to look for the pint of juice.

The kitchen window was giving a view of the front yard and that's how I saw a battered-looking pickup truck pull into the driveway.

"Ponyboy, I think your dad's here," I called.

He winced ever so slightly at my voice, and I wondered if he was always that jumpy. I walked him to the front door, and he stopped himself as he was about to go.

"Do you think you might be able to come over tomorrow? To, you know, finish the project," he asked.

"I don't know, I'll have to ask my uncle, but I don't think he'll let me."

"I can always call you tonight and we can figure it out."

"Sure, here."

I handed him a piece of paper and a pen from the drawer in the adjacent living room, and he scribbled down his phone number before handing the paper back to me.

"Talk to you later then?" he asked.

"Sure, talk to you later."


	8. Clair de Lune

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I'm competing in a drama competition with The Outsiders next weekend and that kept me extremely busy. To all those who want to punch Mary in the face by now, you might like this chapter a tiny bit more. ;) **

**Sorry about the last update, I have no idea what that computer jibberish was about, but I'm pretty sure it's fixed now. Enjoy! Stay gold.**

XxX

_May 8, 1966_

*Pony's POV*

I slammed the car door behind me as I slid myself into the passenger seat of Dad's truck. I sighed in relief, thankful this day was over. Mary Jane had been rude most of the afternoon, and there was no Sodapop or Two-Bit with me to come up with a smart comeback. Even the few times that she was nice, it seemed fake. I leaned my head against the headrest as Sodapop made his way out of the driveway.

"What's the matter, Pone?" Sodapop asked, not taking his eyes off the road. "Long day?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Soda," I sighed, looking out the window.

"Was she a bitch or what?" Soda insisted.

"The first time, I saw her in Science class, I thought she was pretty stuck up. Turns out she's pretty much a monster."

"She's a Soc, you're a greaser, what did you expect?"

"I don't know!" I sighed exasperatedly, "I thought she might be a bit more considerate, since she's new around town. Boy was I wrong. I liked her, and now I can't help but hate her."

"What did she say?"

I didn't respond.

"Come on, she must've told you something to make you feel like that, it's not like she can beat you up or—"

"She doesn't know about Mom and Dad."

Silence. A strong, sudden wave of grief washed over me, thinking about my parents. There was a painful lump in my throat. I looked away, out the window.

"What do you mean?" Soda finally asked. "How do you know?"

I swallowed back the lump in my throat before I spoke.

"When you came to pick me up, she saw the truck through the window and she thought it was Dad."

"Did you tell her?"

"Of course I didn't, what the hell was I supposed to say? Oh, sorry, Mary Jane, my parents are dead."

The rest of the ride home was quiet. I watched outside as the houses got smaller and smaller, older and older as we reached the east side of town. A few blocks before our house, Sodapop finally cleared his throat, this time to lighten the mood.

"Darry's working late, I'm taking care of dinner. How does chicken with blue mashed potatoes sound?"

"Good, let's just hope it's edible."

I couldn't help but smile as my older brother laughed. Typical Soda.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

After dinner, Uncle Frank was reading the newspaper by the fireplace in the living room. Aunt Gemma was sitting on the couch next to her husband, knitting. Jake was out grooming Mickey Mouse. I decided now was the best time to ask Uncle Frank to go at Ponyboy's place tomorrow afternoon. I walked in, sat down next to Aunt Gemma and after a moment, cleared my throat.

"Uncle Frank?"

He looked up from his newspaper.

"Would you let me go to Ponyboy's house tomorrow afternoon? We need to finish the project for Science class."

Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma exchanged a glance.

"Doesn't he live on the east side?" Uncle Frank asked, slightly wrinkling his nose at the end of his question.

"Yeah."

"Absolutely not, then," Uncle Frank answered, going back to his newspaper.

"We need to finish our project, it's due on Monday," I insisted.

"Then, I'll write a note to your teacher telling him you are exempted of doing this project with a greaser."

"But then I'll have to start it all over again. Besides, I already asked my teacher, and he'll give me a zero if I don't do the project with Ponyboy..."

Uncle Frank folded his newspaper and threw it on the coffee table.

"Then, you'll start it all over again. No one living in the Evans family is going to go on the east side of town. Ever. It's dangerous, and you could get killed. If you really want to finish your project, he can come here tomorrow afternoon, but just this once. Then, I don't want to see any greasers walk through this door again. Think about what Bob would think if you were to hang out with a greaser."

"Bob and I aren't dating anymore," I snapped a little too harshly than expected.

"You didn't tell us that!" Aunt Gemma suddenly looked up. "Since when?"

"A few days ago I believe. He dumped me," I partly lied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mary Jane, she added, putting her wool basket away.

"Can we have this conversation another time?" Uncle Frank said, getting up from his armchair. "We're hosting a show-jumping competition tomorrow afternoon and Aunt Gemma and I have to get the ranch ready."

"Alright, Uncle Frank," I shrugged.

Within minutes, Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma were out of the house, leaving me behind. I stood up, went upstairs to my bedroom to grab Ponyboy's phone number, went back downstairs and picked up the phone in the living room. I slowly dialled the number and after two rings, a deep voice, which I assumed was his father, answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Mary Jane Evans," I answered, trying to sound as polite as possible. "May I speak to Ponyboy?"

There was a moment of silence, which made me wonder if Ponyboy's father was still on the line. I was about to ask when I got my answer.

"Hold on"

Another pause. I heard the phone being passed from one hand to another and then a voice, younger-sounding and more familiar.

"Hello"

"Hey, Ponyboy, it's Mary," I answered, dropping all telephone etiquette.

"Are you coming over tomorrow?" he asked.

"My Uncle won't let me, so you have to come over," I answered.

"I can't come over tomorrow, I don't have a ride."

I sighed exasperatedly.

"Well that's just great," I rolled my eyes.

"There could be a way though," Ponyboy said.

"Yeah, how?"

"Well, there are walking trails across the entire city. If you take it from your area, you could walk to my side of town without encountering anyone, it's actually a commonly used shortcut."

"Are you saying that I should sneak out?" I asked, getting disgusted.

"Well, yeah, pretend you're going for a walk or something."

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Well, yeah. At least consider it."

I sighed again. I hated lying to my uncle and my aunt, but I needed to get this project done.

"I'll think about it."

I hung up the phone without saying goodbye, just as I heard the front door slamming, letting me know my brother was done pampering his baby.

XxX

The next afternoon, while my uncle and my aunt were out hosting the competition, and Jake was out in town, I snuck out of my house, ignoring my head screaming at me about what terrible life choices I was taking.

Ponyboy had called me that morning to give me his address, and the trail did lead to the east side of town, so only an hour after sneaking out, I was standing on the front porch of a small, ragged house, after having encountered a few poor-looking greasers. I felt strangely out of place, with my clean, colored, brand-new clothes. A few neighbors were outside their house and were giving me weird looks. I was getting really uncomfortable so I rung the doorbell.

About ten seconds later, the door opened, revealing Ponyboy and his usual greasy look.

"Hey."

"Hey," I answered, pulling the screen door opened to walk into the greaser's house.

I was strangely surprised by the fact that it didn't stink. It did smell like cigarette, but that wasn't really bothering. Teachers smoked in class all the time, even in Canada and I had gotten used to the smell. The furniture looked old, his house was way smaller than mine but I still had to admit it looked comfortable. I could even see, over Ponyboy's shoulder… No way.

A piano.

"I'm home alone," Ponyboy informed me, snapping me back to reality. "I'll go get my notes in my bedroom, I'll be right back."

As soon as he was gone, I went straight to the piano in the Curtis living room and ran my fingers gently over the ivory keys. I used to play piano in Canada, but I stopped when I moved to Tulsa because my uncle and my aunt didn't have one in their house. I hesitated, looking in the hallway where Ponyboy had disappeared, but before I knew it, I was sitting on the bench, and I was softly playing Clair de Lune, a song by Claude Debussy I used to play all the time.

Relief washed over me. It was like reuniting with an old friend. My fingers started moving across the keyboard with more confidence and precision, and for a few minutes, I forgot where I even was. All I could here was the music, and for a moment, I almost felt like I was home.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped. I messed up a few notes and stopped playing, trying to fight the blush that took over me.

"Sorry, I don't know what took over me," I giggled nervously. _Giggled nervously._ What the hell was wrong with me?

"Was that Debussy?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Um.. Yeah. How do you know that?"

"My mom used to play that same song, she was the piano player in the family."

My heart made a jump in my stomach. His choice of word to describe his mother was intriguing.

"Was?" I asked, though doubting the answer.

Ponyboy hesitated. Then, I saw it in his eyes. I remembered what I told him yesterday and I felt guilt wash over me.

"My Mom and my Dad died in a car wreck in February. I live with my two older brothers. They're both working today," he mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

I forgot to breathe somewhere in the middle of the sentence. I couldn't believe how stupid I had been.

"Oh my god. I thought... I meant... Oh God, I've been so stupid," I said, totally embarrassed.

"Don't worry 'bout it, you couldn't have known."

Next thing I knew, I was telling him about my parents who died too in a car crash. I was sitting at a greaser's kitchen table, telling him about my life in Canada. Theater, piano, my friends. We chatted for about half an hour. It felt so nice to have someone who understood my situation that I forgot to be rude to him. After a while, Ponyboy looked at the clock.

"We'd better get to work."

"We probably should," I answered, going back to a milder version of my bitter self.

I wondered if I should tell him about... No. I decided against it. He didn't want to hear about stuff like that. Besides, that was part of my past, a past that I, for the most part, never wanted to go back to.


	9. I Could Be Your Friend

**A/N: Hello there! So, summer's here, prom's over, life's good, and I've got time to update! Here's a long chapter to compensate for my absence!**

**Please review and let me know what you think! Stay gold.**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I got worried when I reached my driveway. I left Ponyboy's house around three in the afternoon, even before we were fully finished with our project, by fear that my uncle and my aunt would notice my absence. I let him do the finishing touches. We had a nice chat, and he didn't seem like such a bad guy, but he was a greaser. Maybe he was just pretending to be kind so I would let my guard down, and he could steal something from my purse when I had my back turned. He couldn't be trusted.

I had checked my purse on my way home, and nothing had been stolen. I was only worried when I walked into my driveway, and no car or van was in sight. The competition had ended a while ago. My stomach twisted in knots. My uncle and my aunt were home, and they surely had noticed my absence by now.

As I was making my way towards the house, I encountered Jake, on his way back to the stables with Mickey Mouse.

"Mary, where have you been?" he asked.

"They haven't noticed I'm gone have they?" I asked, jerking my head towards the house.

"Well, what did you expect? You've been gone all afternoon, they were bound to notice. Where have you been, anyway?"

I sighed. He was my brother. He was going to find out sooner or later anyway.

"I was on the east side," I mumbled.

Jake's eyes widened.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed furiously.

"I had a project to finish for school, or else I'd have zero, I didn't have a choice," I protested.

"I can't believe you would do that!"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Whatever, you're on your own for that one," Jake shrugged, leading his horse back to the stables.

I stepped on the front porch, and I could hear Aunt Gemma cooking in the kitchen through the open window, with radio playing in the background. Uncle Frank was probably in the living room. I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to step through the front door.

"Mary Jane, is that you?" Aunt Gemma asked.

I gulped hard.

"Yeah, it's me!" I called back through the house.

I walked through the dining room and into the living room where, as expected, Uncle Frank was reading a newspaper. As soon as he saw me, he slammed his newspaper on the living room table, making me cringe, and stood up. Aunt Gemma, alarmed by the sound, emerged from the kitchen.

"Where the hell were you, Mary Jane?" Uncle Frank growled.

"I, I…"

There was no point in lying. Uncle Frank would know, since I asked him about it yesterday.

"I was at Ponyboy's place," I muttered, looking down at my shoes.

There was a moment of silence. Both my uncle and my aunt just stared back, their expression hard to read. I was dreading what would come.

"I have given you a warning against greasers, but clearly you don't understand, do you?" Uncle Frank said on an even, controlled tone.

I didn't say anything. I would've preferred if he would've screamed. The thought of him being disappointed was simply unbearable.

"I am forbidding you from speaking to greasers ever again," Uncle Frank spoke in a soft, dangerous voice. "These people are filthy, and dangerous, and they are a terrible influence on you. I am expecting you to make friends with Socs just like someone of your class should."

"But…" I was about to protest. "I didn't have any friends that are Socs. I didn't have any friends period."

"No buts," snapped Uncle Frank. "We have given you a roof over your head and the food of our table. Gambling your life by going around hanging out with greasers seems like a pretty poor way to repay us. Now, go on to your room, we'll call you down for dinner later. I'm very disappointed in you. Look at Jacob, he's adapting quickly, that's a fine example for you."

I immediately exited the room towards the second floor, fighting back tears. I was shocked. Uncle Frank had never spoken to me that way. I wasn't harmed, now was it? Just because I wasn't adapting as quickly as my brother around here wasn't a reason for me to be expected to be like him. I'm not him. But then again, we're Socs. Aren't we always expected to be perfect?

XxX

_May 9, 1966_

The bell rung, marking the end of my Science class. Ponyboy and I had handed in our project on the animal cell to the teacher and he seemed pleased about it. Ponyboy hadn't spoken to me all period and I was glad. I didn't really want to speak to him either to be honest. I didn't quite know what I would've said if he had. Answered him, or ignored him, like my uncle ordered me to do?

"Mary Jane, can I speak to you for a moment before you leave?" Mr. Smith asked as all the students were scuttling towards the hallway.

I approached the desk as Mr. Smith was signing a document. He looked up and asked.

"So, how was working with Ponyboy?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly torture, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either," I answered honestly. "We just don't belong to the same world, I think."

Mr. Smith looked at me from over his spectacles.

"Grab a chair and sit down please, Mary Jane," he said.

"Sir, I'd love to, but I really have to go to my next class and…"

"I'll write a note to your teacher, not to worry," he smiled reassuringly.

I grabbed a chair from the nearest desk and sat down in front of Mr. Smith's desk. He cleared his throat and rested his back on his own chair, arms folded.

"I was wondering how you were doing since you arrived in Tulsa?"

I hesitated. Should I tell him the truth? That I didn't have any friends and my ex-boyfriend had scared me to death, that my uncle and my aunt never really did understand anything, that the expectations that came from living in the upper class were too much to handle, that I missed my family and I missed everything about Canada? Or should I tell him that everything's fine?

I looked at Mr. Smith. He had a kind smile, he was soft. I could trust him.

"Not really well, actually."

"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Smith asked.

"Well, the only people who seem to want to talk to me are greasers, and God knows I won't be the one to fraternize with them."

"Who told you about greasers, out of curiosity?" Mr. Smith carried on.

"My uncle and my aunt, and my ex-boyfriend," I answered.

"You know, Mary Jane, what you've heard about greasers is only partly true," he said, taking off his glasses and putting them on his desk. "Yes, most of the rough stuff happening around town happens on the east side, and most of the street gangs live on the east side. That doesn't mean greasers are all bad. In all my years of teaching, I've seen incredible students, willing to learn, hard-working and fun to be with who were greasers. Most of them are just victims of their reputation."

"Victims?" Now I was confused. "How could predators be victims?"

"Are they really predators, though? They have no money and some of them don't even have parents to take care of them. All they have is each other, so they stick together, which can sometimes make them seem intimidating, don't you think? However, their strength and resilience is admirable. They're not all bad, they just have all the rough breaks. It depends on how you look into their situation."

I stared back at Mr. Smith, mouth agape. I had never thought about it that way. As I finished up with Mr. Smith and made my way to my next class, I couldn't help but imagine what my life in Tulsa would be like if I could talk to Ponyboy. If I could speak to him about my struggles, and he could tell me about his. I suddenly longed to see him, but my classes with him were over for that day.

XxX

_May 14, 1966_

*Pony's POV*

I was staying by my lonesome tonight. Darry had to pick an extra shift at work if we wanted to make ends meet and Soda and the gang are out to a drag race. I wanted to come along, but Darry didn't allow it because I had homework to do. So here I was, sitting at my desk in my bedroom, boring myself out of my wits with my algebra homework. My mind kept drifting to the fun the rest of the gang must be having right now, and I silently cursed Darry for making me stay. The bedroom window was open, letting a cool spring breeze enter the room as the sun was starting to set.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on our front door. I frowned. Most people who came knew us well enough to just come in. Our door was always unlocked. It must be someone from the state.

The thought of that made my stomach twist in nerves. I got up from my desk and anxiously walked to the door to open it. The sight behind it made me even more confused than I was before.

Mary Jane Evans. The Soc I had done a project with last weekend. She hadn't spoken to me all week, and I figured she never would again. Yet here she was, standing on my front porch. That wasn't nearly as startling as the fact that she was crying. Sobbing, even.

"Mary…? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I don't really know to be honest," she said through tears, looking down at her shoes.

"What's the matter?" Boy, I was awkward when it came to situations like these.

"I don't know…" she let out a frustrated sigh. "I miss my family, and I miss everything, and my ex-boyfriend's dating this red-headed cheerleader, and I don't have friends, and my aunt and uncle just don't get it and… anyways, I needed to talk, and I didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm sorry for throwing all of this on you, I just…"

She stopped to catch her breath. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

"Well that's kind of surprising, to be honest," I said, trying not to smile at the irony of the situation. "Do you wanna come in?"

She only nodded, and I let her in. The sun was setting outside. I was kind of happy, okay, flattered, okay, thrilled that she had thought of me, but now that she was inside, I had no idea what would make her feel better. I felt like the piano was too sensitive for this type of thing. She was in no state of playing. Suddenly, an idea spiked up in my head.

"Come on, I'll show you something," I said.

She followed me to the kitchen and out the back door. As I had predicted, it was sunset. I helped Mary sit down next to me on the back steps. She was still crying, but she wasn't as hysterical as a few minutes ago.

"Do you come here often?" she asked.

"Whenever I have the chance," I answered. "I like watching sunsets."

"What do you like so much about them?"

I sighed.

"I don't know. The colors, I guess. The comfort it brings me. When I'm really missing my parents, I like to come out here and it seems to make everything better."

"Too bad it can't stay like that forever," she sighed, watching the sun fading away on the horizon.

"Nothing gold can stay," I blurted out, remembering the poem I read recently from Robert Frost.

Mary turned to look at me. She had a small smile, he eyes still red. She began reciting even before I could.

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower,

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day,

Nothing gold can stay."

I stared at her, fighting a smile edging onto my face. Fighting the excitement.

"You know Robert Frost?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was Mom's favorite poem, she used to recite it all the time," she answered, looking back at where the sun used to be, which had now disappeared.

For a moment, nobody spoke. I looked at her from the corner of my eye to see that she was crying again.

"H-how do you it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Do what?" I asked, incredulous.

"You know… live. Live after you've lost everything," she swallowed back a lump in her throat, which didn't make the tears go away.

I never actually stopped to think about that. The simple thought of Mom and Dad sent a painful stab to my stomach. I was used to keeping busy, and when the nightmares came, so did Sodapop and Darry.

"I don't know, really..." I answered. "I guess you just keep on going. Life goes on, just, without them."

That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She probably wanted a piece of advice or something but I wasn't gonna be able to give it to her. I don't even know how to deal with it myself. Mary thinks I do. She doesn't know about my nightmares.

"Come on," I said, getting up. "It's getting chilly. Let's go back inside."

I helped her get up and walked back into the living room.

"Can I stay here for a little while?" she asked, sitting on the couch next to me.

"Um… Sure. Won't your uncle and your aunt worry?"

"Nah," she suddenly smiled. "They think I'm at The Nightly Double. They're not expecting me home until midnight. I don't want them to know I don't have friends."

"Alright, well, um… I'll go get a blanket in my room and we could watch TV or something?" I suggested.

"Sounds swell," she answered.

I left, feeling my heart well up in my chest. I slipped into my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Okay, so this really fine Socy girl despised me since the day we met, yet here she is, two weeks later, crying on my doorstep. There is nothing normal about this. I quickly closed the books I had left open on my desk, along with the table lamp, and fumbled through my closet to find the extra blanket we kept there for the winter time.

I was making my way back in the living room, and it's only when I got in the hallway that I froze. Mary was still there, but she was now lying on the couch, fast asleep. I smiled at how peaceful she looked, carefully approached her and draped the blanket over her small body. I silently sat on the edge of the couch and I watched her sleeping form for a moment.

She was a really, really fine-looking girl. She was very small, and skinny, but that didn't stop her from being beautiful. I suddenly found myself wondering about her. A part of me felt that someone of her social class shouldn't be speaking to me, and another part of me wanted to know her deepest and darkest secrets. I knew she couldn't hear me, but the words slipped out before I could stop myself.

"I could be your friend, you know?"


	10. The Greasers

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I'm going on vacation in Italy very soon, so I won't be able to update until early in July, I apologize for that! **

**Please review and let me know what you think! :) Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

"What the hell, Pony?"

"Shh.. Quiet, you might wake her up."

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

"She just showed up. I couldn't just leave her out."

"Did you guys use condoms?"

"Jeez, Two-Bit, cut it out will ya?"

I was awoken to the sound of voices. It took me a while to remember where I was. I was lying on a couch. The room I was in smelled a bit of cigarette. Strange, I thought. My uncle and my aunt didn't smoke. And what in God's name am I doing on a couch? Then, it hit me.

I sat up abruptly. I was in the Curtis living room. How long had I been asleep? The clock on the wall opposite of me read eleven o'clock.

"Where's the fire, pretty woman?" came a voice on my right. That's when I realized that I wasn't alone.

Ponyboy was sitting on the couch at my feet, and sprawled out all over the living room, were six other greasers. Two of them I hadn't seen at school before, the four others being familiar. I recognized Johnny, sitting next to a mean-looking greaser. A sudden surge of fear paralyzed me to the spot.

"Good mornin', Sleeping Beautay!" said the same guy who had spoken in the first place. He wore a crooked grin and a Mickey Mouse shirt.

I tried to say something, but it seemed as though my mouth was frozen. Should I make a run for it? No, I'd look like a fool.

"How come she ain't talking? Do they teach you how to talk up north?" said the mean-looking one.

"Yes," I blurted out. He was the one that had tried to flirt with me the other day in the locker room.

"You look scared," the mean-looking greaser pointed out. "Are you?"

I groaned inwardly. It was in moments like these that I hated being an open book. I chose not to answer his question.

"You don't have to be scared of us, whatever you've heard," said a handsome one I hadn't seen before.

He smiled at me, and suddenly, I calmed down. There was a soothing vibe about him. I was finally able to look behind the tough clothes and the greased hair. He seemed trust-worthy.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"Probably not, I don't go to school. I'm Sodapop, Pony's brother, and there's Darry, our oldest brother" he said, pointing towards a tall, muscular young man who looked in his early 20's. So Ponyboy wasn't the only one in his family with a unusual name,

Ponyboy carried onto the introductions. The grinning guy with the Mickey Mouse shirt was named Keith, but everyone called him Two-Bit. The guy who seemed to be Sodapop's best buddy was Steve, the mean-looking one was Dally and there was Johnny, of course, whom I pretended I didn't know.

"So, are you guys like, a gang?" I asked, wishing I sounded more confident.

"I guess you could say that, but we ain't rough like Shepard's gang or anything," Two-Bit answered. "We mostly just stick together, hangin' out all day, every day."

He flashed a grin at me and I couldn't help but laugh at the way he explained the relationship the gang shared.

"So, how was the drag race?" Ponyboy asked.

"Oh my lord!" yelled out Two-Bit.

"You should've been there!"

"The last race was just amazing!"

"I was sure Gary would be the winner!"

"Gary, in that old car of his? Gimme a break."

The whole gang launched in a loud conversation about their evening. I couldn't help but smile. They weren't talking about theater, but the way their eyes lit up and how loud they were reminded me of the conversations I used to have with my friends. Loud, disorganized conversations. These kinds of conversations were forbidden in the world of Socs, social courtesy being a priority.

Their conversation diverted to other subjects. I didn't say much, but I slipped in a word or two. Dallas told everyone about his new girl, Sylvia. I was surprised by the fact that when it was time to go home, thirty minutes later, I was sad to leave. I wasn't about to spill out my darkest secrets to every single one of them, but they made me feel really comfortable. Darry offered to ride me home, and surprisingly, I accepted.

We got in the car after I said my goodbyes to everyone and as we drove to the east side, Darry began talking.

"What did you hear about us, honestly. Before you met Ponyboy."

"Well… That you guys were dangerous, and you were thieves and a bad influence, and I shouldn't be hanging out with people like you," I answered honestly.

"We do tend to give away that impression on Socs." he said. "Doesn't mean it's true, you dig?"

I did. The more I was getting to know Ponyboy, the less scary greasers seemed to me.

"Are you afraid of us? The gang, I mean," he asked.

"A little, to be honest," I answered.

"Don't be," he said, laughing slightly. "Most of us wouldn't hurt a fly. We just stick together because we're all we've got. All the guys you met tonight have problems of their own. That's how it works on the east side. But really, you're safe as long as you stick with us. No one in our gang would hurt you."

"Thank you," I said, appreciating his reassuring words. He pulled over in front of my house a few minutes later and as I was about to open the door, Darry stopped me.

"No, thank you."

"What for?" I asked.

"For making me realize that maybe Socs and greasers can be friends after all."

XxX

I walked into the living room to find my brother watching television and my uncle and my aunt talking about a big polo event they were organizing. They stopped talking when they noticed my presence.

"So, how were the movies, Mary Jane?" asked Aunt Gemma.

"They were pretty boring, actually. One of those beach movies, you know," I answered with my most convincing smile.

"Did you make any friends?" she asked.

"I met a few kids who have parents working for Robert Sheldon Sr." I answered. My uncle and my aunt seemed pleased by my answer.

"Glory, would you look at the time," aunt Gemma suddenly said, looking over at the clock. "Off to bed, now, both of you."

Jake turned off the television and I followed him upstairs, kissing Aunt Gemma and Uncle Frank goodnight.

We were in the hallway, and as we were about to split, him going into the room opposite of mine, he pushed me into my room, following me before closing the door behind him.

"What the hell, Jake? What was that for?" I asked, suddenly angry.

"I was at the Nightly Double tonight. It was a cowboy movie and I didn't even see you there. You were on the east side again, weren't you?"

I looked down at my shoes, suddenly ashamed. But I shouldn't be ashamed.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm your brother. I know losing Mom and Dad was hard, but that's no reason to go around playing with danger and behaving recklessly."

That hit me like a brick. He was wrong. Everything about what he just said was downright wrong. I blinked back tears and forced myself to look at him directly in the eyes.

"Maybe greasers aren't as bad as you think, haven't you thought of that for a minute? Does it ever occur to you that maybe Socs are wrong? That maybe, just maybe, there might be someone willing to do good on the east side of town. We just got here Jake! Surely, you don't know both sides of the story. Don't let yourself be brainwashed the way I was."

For once, Jake was silent. No smart comebacks, no disapproving glances. He seemed to be hesitating.

"Look," I said. "I don't know why, but being with greasers makes me feel good. Something just feels right. Just, trust me okay?"

He looked at me, still hesitating. Finally, he said the only word that could've provided me with comfort.

"Okay."


	11. Steve Gets Jumped

**A/N: Ciao! I am officially back from Italia! Italy was one of the best experiences of my life. It was my first time in Europe and I was travelling with a bunch of friends, and that made the whole experience wonderful! I could go on and on about my trip, but this is not what it's about.**

**This chapter isn't the longest, but I gave it my best shot, since I wanted to update as quickly as possible! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and thanks to those who take the time to review! Please feel free to do so, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Stay gold. x**

XxX

_May 16, 1966_

*Steve's POV*

I was late for my first class of the day. Monday had rolled around too soon for my liking, and I suddenly felt a pang of jealousy, thinking about Soda flirting with girls while I have to sit in a classroom and learn about stuff I'll never use in my life.

I would've been on time for History, but Pony was real worked up about a test in second period and he practically begged me for a smoke before class to settle his nerves. I didn't like the kid, but he seemed real nervous and he left his pack of cigarettes at home and I kinda felt bad for him, to tell you the truth. Our classes were in different parts of the school, so I couldn't know whether he was late too or not.

I was walking slowly, not in a hurry at all to get to the third floor, where History class was. I didn't care too much about school, so being late didn't actually bother me. As I was climbing a set of stairs to the second floor, I thought about Mary.

She came back on Sunday. I used to think she was pretty stuck-up and kinda weird, and turns out she was a pretty sweet girl. She seemed shy, but she was slowly opening up, loosening up a bit around us, especially Ponyboy, probably since they're the same age and all. We were a pretty close gang, every member being like family, so to accept someone in our group was pretty much unthinkable, yet there she was, slowly becoming our friend. She wasn't really close to us, I mean, we just started talking to her, but she smiled at us when she saw us in the hallways now, and she wasn't scared to talk to us anymore. Before we met her, I didn't think it was possible to find a Soc who could be nice.

I was about to climb the stairwell up to the third floor when I saw a group of four Socs, Seniors, probably, going down the same staircase. They were talking to each other and something about their smile made me uneasy. I pretended like they weren't there, hoping they would just ignore me. I didn't get that lucky.

"Look what we got here," said one in a blue madras shirt, standing in front of me to block me from going further.

"What d'ya want?" I asked in my most threatening voice. It was useless though. They were four, I was on my own. I suddenly wished wildly for someone, anyone, from the gang to be here to have my back, even Ponyboy.

"No need to be so uncivilized," snorted another Soc, standing right behind me. "We just wanted to have a bit of fun, that's all."

They were circling me, I thought.

"Leave me the fuck alone," I growled, fists clenched.

"I don't think so, greaser," replied the one with the blue madras shirt. "Your filthy friends aren't around to back up your greasy ass, and we feel like having fun."

That part about my friends infuriated me. I swung at one on my side, but he was quicker than me and blocked the blow inches away from his nose. They all jumped at me at once. I tried to fight back, but I had no blade, no weapons, and I was outnumbered. I struggled to break free, and I almost did, but one of them kicked me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me, forcing me to double over. Another took that opportunity to throw me on the ground, and before I knew it, I had kicks and punches coming from everywhere. I curled up on myself, but there was no way I could protect myself against all the blows. Suddenly, one of them threw a particularly hard kick to my head and darkness soon welcomed me.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I was sweating something fierce. I was in English class, and Mr. Johnson was talking about rules of grammar, but I was too nervous about my Math test to even be able to pay attention. I had gotten a B- on my last test and Darry had gotten real mad. I dreaded his reaction if I didn't get an A on that one. I thought a smoke would've settled my nerves but apparently not.

Another thing, Mary wasn't here. She usually sat at a seat in the front of the class, yet she was nowhere in sight. I had seen her at her locker this morning and we chatted a bit before first period, so why wasn't she here? Maybe she got sick and was sent home or something.

A soft knock on the classroom door interrupted Mr. Johnson's monotone speech about the difference between lay and lie. He almost seemed outraged, like someone had the audacity to interrupt him in his truly boring class. He went to open the door and was met by Mary's petite figure. She smiled up at him (Mr. Johnson was six feet seven) and said in the most polite voice:

"Excuse me sir, could I borrow Ponyboy Curtis for a moment please?" she asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be in this class, Miss Evans?" Mr. Johnson snapped.

"I'm meeting with the principal since I didn't get to pick my classes for next year like the other students did earlier this year. He sent me up because he wanted to have a word with Ponyboy."

A series of Ooh's followed her statement, and a few people turned around to smirk at me. What had I done wrong? I was already so nervous, now the principal wanted to meet with me?

"Alright then," Mr. Johnson agreed.

I stood up, trying to ignore everyone whispering to each other, wondering just like them what I had done to get in trouble.

To my surprise, as I stepped out in the hallway, I was met by Johnny, Two-Bit and Dally, hiding on one side of the wall where the teacher couldn't see them. One thing I knew for sure. Whatever this was about, I was not in trouble with the principal. Mary smiled one last time at the teacher before closing the door. As soon as the door was closed, she grabbed my shirt sleeve and started pulling me towards one end of the hallway. She was running, and I was struggling to keep up with her.

"Mary, where the hell are you taking us?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Steve." she simply answered.

My confusion shifted to worry. Steve and I weren't the best of friends, but he was part of the gang and he was Soda's best buddy. Whatever had happened to him seemed to be troubling Mary.

We kept running, following her through the hallways, only breaking for a walk in front of open classroom doors. She led us to a stairwell and there, kept hidden under the staircase, lay a motionless Steve, covered in newly formed bruises. He was jumped, clearly.

Dally reached him first, and dropped down next to Steve on the ground.

"Steve? Steve, can you hear me?" Dally called, close to Steve's ear.

After a few seconds, Steve stirred. As soon as he started to regain consciousness, he let out a pitiful moan. Dally quickly clamped his hand over Steve's mouth.

"Be quiet, someone could hear us," Dallas hissed. "Two-Bit, go get the car. Johnny, give me a hand will ya?"

Johnny didn't hesitate to help Dally. He knelt down on the other side of Steve, and both of them worked together on getting Steve to stand. Both Dally and Johnny threw one of Steve's arms across their shoulders for support, Steve being too big to be carried. They helped him through all the distance that separated them from the car. Steve was clearly in pain, slouching and moaning occasionally. Mary and I followed behind.

"Almost there, Steve," Dally encouraged, as we got out through the school's front doors.

We were lucky to not meet anyone. I could only imagine what could've happened if someone else other than Mary had found Steve.

"How did you find him?" I asked her as Dally and Johnny helped Steve into the back seat of Two-Bit's car.

"I was actually with the principal for my schedule for next year, I just invented that last part," she answered, grinning. "I was making my way to class and I found Steve, so I went to find you guys."

Out of unspoken agreement, Mary and I both hopped into the front seat of Two-Bit's car, and Johnny and Dally settled in the back.

"Didn't you have an exam, Ponyboy?" Two-Bit asked as we were driving towards my house.

My heart stopped in my chest. Two-Bit was right. In the turmoil of the events, I had forgotten all about my Math test.

"Yeah, but forget it," I shrugged. "I got one more night to study that way, anyway."

"That's the spirit, dear," commented Two-Bit with a huge grin.


	12. Ice Packs & Taped Ribs

**A/N: Greetings, lovelies! Here's the twelfth chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think in the reviews! They're highly appreciated! Stay gold.**

XxX

*Dally's POV*

"Quit movin' 'round, will ya?" I said to Steve, who kept squirming away from the ice pack I was holding.

"It fucking hurts, man!" Steve complained.

"We're all aware of that, Stevie, but you gotta keep still alright?" Two-Bit said, sitting next to Steve's head on the floor next to the couch in the Curtis living room. Steve always acted tough about injuries. He must be in real pain for him to be complaining like that.

We brought Steve back to the Curtis house, and we were able to take his shirt off to assess his injuries. His ribs were painted black and blue, and so was his right eye. His entire face and arms had cuts all over them, some deeper than others, which I assumed was because the Socs were wearing rings. His bottom lip was busted.

I had taken over the job of patching him up. Pony had gone to get the first-aid kit from the bathroom and now he was sitting in the armchair, looking at the scene from a distance, Mary sitting on one of the arms of said chair, looking very shaken. She wasn't used to jumpings and injuries like we were. Two-Bit was sitting next to Steve, trying to provide him with comfort and Johnny was sat on the floor by the TV.

I had cleaned all his cuts with warm water and he already looked a lot better, and now I was trying to put ice on his ribs, but he wouldn't allow me.

"Steve, c'mon man, I ain't got time for that! I'm trying to help you for fuck's sake!"

Steve finally resigned, and I pressed the ice pack to his ribs as gently as Dallas Winston could be. After a few minutes, Steve finally relaxed, getting used to the cold on his side.

"Hey, Pony, can you get me some aspirin? My head's pounding, man," asked Steve.

"Yeah, sure," Ponyboy mumbled, getting up from the armchair and going to get the pill bottle from the cabinet in the bathroom.

"Do you need water?" he asked from the bathroom.

Steve inhaled sharply as I pressed the ice pack on another part of his ribcage. He exhaled loudly before answering in a tight voice.

"Nah, I'll be good."

Pony came back with the aspirin bottle and gave two to Steve, who swallowed them immediately.

"Thanks, kid," he said.

"No problem," Pony answered as he sat back into the armchair. "You okay?" he added in a low voice towards Mary. The girl nodded.

"I should go," she said, looking a the clock. "Uncle Frank doesn't know I'm here, so I have to get home at the time when I usually get home from school."

"Alright, you sure you're fine with walking?" asked Two-Bit. "I can give ya a ride if you'd like?"

"No, I'll be good, thanks Two-Bit," she answered. "You stay here with Steve, I'll try to come by later."

"See ya later, then," Pony said, smiling at her as she made her way out.

"Bye," she called back, climbing down the front porch's steps.

XxX

*Darry's POV*

I pulled up into the DX parking lot to pick up Sodapop after my shift at work. Steve usually gives him a ride, but Soda called to tell me that Steve hadn't shown up for his shift after school and he needed a lift. I thought it was odd, but I figured Steve had just forgotten. It wasn't like it was the first time he pulled something like that.

A few seconds later, Sodapop came out of the DX, his work shirt stained with grease. He had been working in the garage today, I figured.

"Hey Dar, how was work?" Soda greeted, grinning, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Okay, I might need one of your back rubs to put me to sleep though, my back is killing me," I sighed.

"Carryin' two bundles of roofing at the same time again?" asked Soda, half-scowling.

"Nah, just pulled a muscle. Don't worry, little buddy," I grumbled tiredly.

We pulled over in front of our house and we both noticed Two-Bit's car parked in front of the house.

"Two-Bit's here already, I swear he's gonna have to pay our grocery bills if he keeps coming over for dinner," I chuckled, turning the engine off and getting out of the car.

We walked into our house and it was a surprise to see the whole gang here. They usually come over later. That's when we saw it.

Steve was lying on our couch, all cut up and bruised. Dally was holding an ice pack onto his ribs and Steve seemed to be asleep. Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy were watching TV, all huddled around the living room.

"What the hell happened?" asked Soda, dropping to his knees next to the couch to examine his best friend more closely.

"He got jumped at school on his way to first period. Mary found him underneath the stairs leading to the third floor," Two-Bit summarized.

I silently thanked Mary for being there on time. I walked over to the couch and patted Dally's shoulder.

"C'mon, I'll take over," I said. Dally slipped on the ground to let me sit next to Steve.

"How long has he been asleep?" I asked, running my fingers softly over a deep purple bruise on his forearm.

"I dunno, a few minutes after Mary left, so maybe like two hours," Dally answered.

"Alright, we should probably wake him up in case he got hit in the head," I said. "Was he unconscious when you found him?"

"Yeah, he was," Two-Bit said.

Soda shook Steve's shoulder gently.

"Steve? Hey, Steve, wake up buddy," said Soda softly.

Steve stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, and then remembered everything and groaned at the pain in his ribs.

"What hurts, Steve?" asked Soda.

"Ribs," Steve inhaled sharply as he slowly laid back down.

"Well, the ice has been on there for long enough," I said, putting the ice pack away. I gently pressed down on Steve's side to see if his ribs were misplaced. Steve moaned openly in pain and I quickly retrieved my hand.

"It's alright buddy, they ain't busted, just bruised," I answered. "I'm just gonna tape these up, alright?"

Steve nodded, gritting his teeth.

"Was boss mad?" he asked Soda. "I meant to call but I fell asleep."

"Yeah well, he was pretty pissed off, but I don't think he's gonna fire you though, it was a slow day," Soda answered honestly.

I reached for the medical tape in the first-aid kit and proceeded to wrap Steve's ribs.

"First Johnny, now Steve, in the matter of what, two weeks? Those damn Socs…" Dally growled.

"This only means one thing boys," I declared. "We gotta make em' pay for it. Dal, can you still get ahold of Shepard's gang?"

"If he ain't still worked up about the fight we had at Buck's last week, I think so," Dally answered.

"Call him. We gotta have a rumble."


	13. The Rumble

**A/N: Well, that was fast, wasn't it? ;) Hahaha, I'm feeling really inspired tonight and writing lots and lots for you guys! I hope to be updating more frequently. Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy it! :) Reviews are highly appreciated! Stay gold.**

XxX

_May 17, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

"A rumble? What's a rumble?" I asked as I closed my locker door.

Ponyboy's locker was only six or seven lockers away from mine, and Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy we're all talking loudly about a "rumble", whatever that was. They turned around when they heard me.

"Morning, Mary," they all greeted.

"Good morning. Sorry I didn't drop by last night. Uncle Frank insisted on giving me a riding lesson," I explained. "How's Steve?"

"He's good, except his ribs are really being a pain, so he stayed at our place this morning," explained Pony. "Dally stayed with him."

"Any excuse to skip school is a good excuse for ol' Dally anyway," grinned Two-Bit.

"Okay, and what's a rumble?" I asked again, since they apparently ignored my question.

"A rumble is when two groups, in our case, Socs and greasers, meet up together at one place to beat the shit out of each other," Two-Bit explained, still smiling.

"Okay, and may I ask why are you talking about that?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, considering the fact that they beat up Johnny and Steve in the matter of two weeks, we're gonna beat up all of them in a matter of minutes," Two-Bit summarized, his smile only growing bigger.

"Okay, and when's that gonna be?" I asked.

"This Friday, at the vacant lot near Pony's house," answered Two-Bit.

"That's perfect!" I said, grinning.

"Wait, what?" asked Ponyboy.

"Well, my uncle and my aunt are gone to a big polo event in Oklahoma City all weekend, so I'm gonna be able to be there," I explained, growing more and more excited.

"Whoa there, girl," Two-Bit said. "You actually think you're gonna take part in a rumble?"

"I can fight, I learned how to "up North", like Dally would say," I said proudly.

"Mary, there will only be boys there," Ponyboy started.

"So?" I asked.

"People get hurt in rumbles."

"So?"

"So," Two-Bit cut in. "We can't let you fight with us. You're a nice friend and all, but you're a girl, and you're… you know… small."

Most people would've taken that as a compliment, but I took it as a hard blow. If only he knew. If only he knew what I used to look like. I was a freaking Marilyn and he'll never know anything about it.

"Mary, wait…" Two-Bit said. "God, I need to shut up sometimes…"

"It's fine really," I lied, faking a smile. "You're right. This was stupid. You guys go and save the world or something. Just don't touch my brother if he ever gets there. I'll see y'all later."

I walked away to my first class of the day, following the mass of teenagers rushing for the stairs. I felt left out. I knew I hadn't been friends with them for long, and I didn't even know how much of a friend I was to them, but they were the only people I had here, aside from Jake. They were underestimating me, clearly. I did know how to fight, and where to hit. My Dad had taught me all about it so I could defend myself. It was only when I sat down at my desk for first period that I took the decision. I was going to fight. I was going to fight whether they liked it or not.

XxX

_May 20, 1966_

By the time Friday night rolled around, my plan was set. The greasers had basically ignored me all week. Even when I had been over at the Curtis house, they were always talking excitedly about the rumble. Even Steve would fight, his bruised ribs almost back to normal now. I didn't ask to take part in it again. I knew I would, but I knew informing them before the rumble would be unwise, as they would probably try to stop me.

I didn't really know why I wanted to fight. I guess a part of me wanted to prove a point. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to be a part of the gang. I wanted them to accept me and take me seriously not like some kind of delicate little girl they needed to take care of.

My uncle and my aunt had left this morning, and Jake had left about ten minutes ago to hang out with friends. He didn't tell me where he was going and I didn't ask. It was time to put my plan in execution.

I went into my bathroom in search for a hair tie. When I did find one, I used my hairbrush to pull my hair in a very tight french twist, right at the back of my head. I looked at my handiwork in the mirror. In the dark, it would certainly look like short hair. I walked out of my room and into my brother's room to find his hair gel. When I did, I used a comb to apply some in my hair so it looked sort of greased. Once I was satisfied with the result, I put everything back into place and left the house to head to Ponyboy's house.

When I got there, a while later, it was already dark outside. The neighbourhood seemed very spooky, with it's rundown houses. I tried to ignore it as I ran to Ponyboy's house.

I found the house already empty. The boys had left. I walked through the front door, frighteningly not surprised at the fact that the door was unlocked. I had to act quickly. If the boys were already gone to the rumble, that meant it was about to start soon.

I crossed the living room and went into the hallway towards Pony's room. I turned on the light and went straight to his dresser, rummaging through it to find his smallest pair of jeans and his smallest sweater. I figured a sweater would make my arms look a bit bigger, since they would be covered. Once I had found the clothes, I changed as fast as I could from the dress I was wearing into the old greaser clothes. I was surprised at how comfortable these clothes were. They were a bit big, no point in denying it, but they would work. They smelled like Ponyboy. A mixture of soap and cigarette, a surprisingly good combination, my romantic self thought.

I snapped out of my thoughts and walked out of the room, stopping by the bathroom for a quick check in the mirror to make sure I looked okay.

I looked like a girl trying to look like a boy, that was for sure, but in the dark, I could probably pass for a guy really easily. I took a deep breath, trying to release some of the stress building up in the pit of my stomach, and I walked out of the house, leaving the door unlocked, the way it had been before.

The lot was only a minute walk from the Curtis house. As I reached one end, I hid behind a tree to observe the scene that was going on in front of me.

Greasers were talking to each other in the middle of the lot, but what startled me was that I was seeing a lot more than seven faces, like I was used to seeing. At least twenty figures were there, all dressed in old-looking clothes and leather jackets, hair heavily greased. I should've expected that more greasers would be there, but I didn't. I figured this was better off that way. I could blend into the crowd more easily.

That's when the cars started arriving on the other side of the lot. Three cars pulled up, including a blue Mustang. Bob was there, I thought. I smiled to myself. My plan was running even better than I thought it would.

Approximately the same amount of Socs filed out of the cars, and by the way some of them staggered a bit, I could tell that some of them were drunk.

Soon, greasers and Socs faced each other. I tried to find Ponyboy in the crowd, but it was too dark for me to be able to tell the greasers apart. I was so caught up in trying to find Ponyboy that I missed the first punch being thrown. I had no idea who hit who, but before I knew it, the two lines were transforming into a huge ball of fists and kicks. I took that as my opportunity. Ignoring my racing heart, I emerged from my hiding spot and ran into the bunch, my goal now different. I didn't want to prove a point to the greasers. I wanted to prove a point to Bob, and for that, I had to find him.

My first opponent was a pretty slim Soc that I recognized from one of my classes. He didn't recognize me. He tried to hit the side of my face with his fist but I blocked it mere inches away and I punched him on the nose. I pushed him away and continued my quest towards Bob, my small form slipping through tangles of bodies.

I found him soon enough, a little further away from the main action. Him and two of his friends were pairing up against a small boy with curly hair, about the size of Ponyboy.

"Curly!" I heard a voice behind me say and a young man, barely smaller than Darry, running towards the group. I tried to follow him but another Soc grabbed me from behind and pushed me roughly to the ground. My back hit the ground with a hard thud and the wind was knocked out of me. Before he had time to sit on my chest, I lifted one of my legs and kicked him as hard as I could where the sun don't shine. He fell back, his face twisted in pain and I took that opportunity to get back up, struggling to regain my breath.

Bob was still where he was, but his two friends were busy fighting the curly-haired boy and the tall man. I took the opportunity and ran towards him, adrenaline pulsing through my veins and urging me on.

Bob looked like he was about to pounce at me until he recognized me. Shock replaced anger on his face.

"Mary? What the hell are you doing here? And why are you dressed like a greaser?" he asked.

I ignored his questions.

"Hit me," I asked simply.

"Y-you can't be serious," he started.

I slapped him hard across the face. Everything in my body screamed "hurt him". I thought he would protect me and he ended up traumatizing me. He dated another girl only two days after things were done with him. He was a jerk and I wanted to hurt him in anyway I could.

"I said, hit me," I growled with more force.

The slap seemed to light up something in him. I saw his rings glisten in the moonlight as he brought up his fist and I knew I had to act. I brought up my arm to block his blow and brought another fist to his side. We kept going back at forth like that, blocking each other's blows. The fight was becoming more and more intense, and we ended up wrestling it up on the ground, only Two-Bit was right. Bob was stronger than me.

He managed to pin me to the ground, sitting on my chest. He raised his fist again and before I could do anything, he punched my cheek. Hard.

The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. Burning, searing pain spreading throughout my entire face. I screamed louder than I intended, loosing all courage, tears welling up in my eyes. He had won.

*Pony's POV*

I was doing pretty well. I had managed to only get hit once and I was fighting fair. I was fighting a small one right next to Soda, who was teaming up with Steve on a tall one. Then, I heard it. A scream, rising above all shouts. It was a piercing, high-pitched scream. I knew it had to be a girl. It had to be Mary.

I looked over at Soda and realized that he had heard it too. He thought the same thing. I managed to get out of the Soc's grip and both Soda and I ran towards the sound, avoiding the mass of people. The sight I was met with confirmed my fear.

Mary was there, dressed as a greaser, and her ex-boyfriend was sitting on top of her chest. I could see from the moonlight that she was bleeding on one side of her face and tears were streaming down her face. Soda and I both broke into a run.

Sodapop tackled him roughly and both boys rolled onto the grass next to them. They continued to fight, Sodapop winning over him as I rushed over to Mary and helped her up.

"C'mon, Mary, you're okay, c'mon," I said, urging her away from the action.

"Stop, Pony, I'm fine," she said, wiping away her tears.

That's when we heard greasers shouting. The Socs were running away back to their cars, most of them banged up. All the greasers were shouting their victory at the sky, wrapping the closest guy into a bro hug, huge smiles splitting their faces. The greasers had won.


	14. Let Me Save You

**A/N: Whaaat! Belle is officially on fire! Here's the third chapter of this week. I have no idea what's getting into me but the words just flow as I'm typing and it's wonderful. Enjoy this! Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Reviews are always highly highly appreciated! Big love! xx Stay gold.**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

"What the hell were you thinking Mary?" yelled Ponyboy.

"It's none of your business," I mumbled.

"It is my business Mary, you're hurt," he continued on.

"Calm down!" I yelled at him. "I was doing just fine until Bob hit me. I can fight, I'm telling you. I don't need you. I can take care of myself."

Ponyboy seemed taken aback.

"You still shouldn't have fought, you could've been really hurt," he added, looking down at his shoes.

"I'm sorry, okay, I just…" I started but I was interrupted by a shout.

"Mary, are you alright?" asked Soda, coming back towards us, a bruise forming on his jaw.

"I'm fine," I said, looking down at my shoes.

"Are you wearing Pony's clothes?" Soda asked, suddenly grinning.

I smiled slightly.

"I didn't have anything that would make me blend with you guys," I said defensively.

"So, not only are you a rebel, you're a thief," Soda summarized. "And you thought we were dangerous."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. He was right. I looked over at Pony and he was smiling too.

"Hey, Curtis!" yelled a voice that belonged to the tall man that defended the curly one earlier. "Winston's hurt!"

"Coming, Tim!" Soda yelled back. "We should probably go see what's going on."

Ponyboy, Sodapop and I made our way back to the group of greasers. Down on the ground in the middle of the group, Dally was lying down, unconscious, looking badly injured. A few yards away, a Soc, seemingly in the same condition as Dally was, lay as well, apparently forgotten by his friends.

"Y'all need to take him somewhere," said Tim, kneeling down next to Dally to check his pulse.

"We'll take him over to our house for the night," offered Darry.

"What are we gonna do about him though?" asked Curly, pointing towards the pummelled Soc.

"Why should we care?" asked Tim.

"Well, we wouldn't wanna get in trouble with the cops. It's our territory, remember?" answered Curly.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by the sound of police sirens coming closer. Somebody must've heard the racket and called the police. A dozen greasers started running in the opposite direction from where the sound came from, towards their homes. Everyone ran except for Pony's gang.

"What do we do? We can't just leave him here," started Ponyboy. Suddenly an idea spiked up in my head.

"You guys go, get Dally and go to Pony's house, I'll meet you there in five minutes," I told them.

"Mary, don't be silly, you'll get hauled in," Two-Bit started.

"Not if I can help it. I'm an actress, remember?" I answered.

"But…" Sodapop started.

"Hey, let me save you this time. Just trust me," I retorted.

The sirens were getting closer. They had to act fast. Darry and Two-Bit teamed up to lift a motionless Dally off the ground and the whole gang ran back towards the Curtis house.

I turned and ran towards the Soc. I dropped to the ground next to him, and as I heard the police car arriving on the edge of the lot, I took out my best acting skills to appear as hysterical as possible. It wasn't too hard to fake, since I had cried earlier and my cheek was bruised and cut. I turned around as two cops were getting out of the car.

"Please, please help my boyfriend!" I yelled at them from where I was, tears threatening to spill, breathing heavily.

"What's going on, young lady?" they asked, my (fake) hysterical state alarming them as they ran towards me.

"Please help him," I said again, my voice breaking as the cops were getting closer.

"Glory, look at him," said one of them, dropping down to my level to feel for the Soc's pulse. I let out a pretty convincing sob.

"What happened?" asked the second cop. "We received complaints about noise and trouble around here."

"M-me, m-my boyfriend and h-his friends were out for the n-night, and suddenly, th-they j-just started a-arguing about something, and then th-they started fighting," I explained "I d-dunno what happened it was so fast. But th-they kn-knocked him out and then th-they ran, they all ran."

I was surprised at how smoothly my story came out. I almost believed myself for a moment.

"You gotta help him please," I started again.

"We will, alright, calm down, young lady. We'll bring your boyfriend to the hospital," one of the cops said as the other lifted my boyfriend off the ground with ease and carried him to the car. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen," I answered honestly.

"What's your name?"

"Annie McGraw," I blurted out.

"Alright, Annie, would you like us to give you a ride somewhere?"

"N-no, I'll be fine I went to the closest house over there and called my parents. They're gonna come and get me here and we'll join my boyfriend at the hospital."

"Alright, well we'd better get going. I don't know how injured he is. Are you sure you're gonna be okay? You have a bruise."

"I'm fine, they hit me too, but my mom'll take care of me when I get home," I answered.

"What are their names?" asked the cop.

"I don't know. We just started dating, so I don't know his friends. There were four other guys with us," I answered.

"That's all the information you have?" asked the cop.

"Yes, all of it," I added, sniffing.

"Okay, well, we'll get going. Thank you, miss," the cop said before turning around and running back to the car.

I waited until they were out of sight, wiped the tears off my face and ran back to the Curtis house, a smirk planted on my face.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

When Mary walked in, about ten minutes later, Dally had regained consciousness. Darry was leaning over Dally, cleaning his cuts. The entire gang was sprawled out all over the floor, some of them treating cuts and bruises of their own. Her eyes were red and puffy, pieces of her hair were falling out of her twist and the skin on her cheek was turning purple.

"What happened?" I asked, standing up automatically.

Mary launched into an explanation of how she had managed to make the cops go away by pretending she had an injured boyfriend, and everyone had a good laugh.

"Now that is brilliant, Mary Jane," commented Soda through fits of laughter.

"Wish I could make cops back off like that," added Dally in a strained voice. "But they seem to see right through me. They just love to…"

He stopped mid-sentence when Darry poured rubbing alcohol over a particularly deep cut on his forearm. Dally hissed and groaned slightly, his mean face twisted in pain. Dally never showed signs of weakness, and even now, he still acted tough about it.

"Do you wanna stay overnight, Mary? Everyone's crashing," asked Darry.

"I wouldn't wanna be a bother," she started.

"Oh you won't be," Darry insisted. "Soda and Pony will sleep together, I'll sleep in my room. You can have the couch, we'll put Dally in Soda's room."

"Where will the others sleep?" Mary asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Shotgun the armchair!" yelled Two-Bit.

"No way! You had it last time!" Steve protested.

"Well, too late, Stevie!" Two-Bit laughed, plopping in said armchair.

Steve groaned.

"Johnny and I can sleep on the floor," he said to Mary's attention, glaring at Two-Bit.

"Are you sure you won't mind?" Mary asked, slightly uncomfortable.

"Of course we don't," Soda said. "Besides, you wouldn't want your brother to see you with that bruise."

"Speaking of which," I interrupted, grabbing her wrist gently. "Come on."

She followed me into the bathroom, and I made her sit on the side of the bath.

"Hang on," I said. I grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom closet and soaked it in warm water. I wrung it slightly before turning towards Mary and crouching in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly startled.

"Taking care of you," I answered.

"I can take care of myself," she snapped. She was still angry about our argument at the rumble.

"Well, let me take care of you. Just once," I insisted.

She didn't say anything and I took it as a yes. I brought the washcloth to her cut to clean it. The simple pressure of the washcloth made her wince.

"It's okay Mary," I reassured, removing the cloth from her face before bringing it back down, gently this time. She relaxed a little and for a moment none of us spoke. I found myself relishing of this quiet little moment. Being around girls always made me nervous, but I was surprisingly comfortable around her. She was a Soc, but I still felt like I didn't have to prove myself to her. She was accepting of who I was, regardless of what she had heard and I was grateful for that.

"Thanks," she said as I finished cleaning up her cut.

"No problem," I shrugged. "Can I be honest with you?" I asked, running the washcloth under the water to clean the blood off.

"Sure," she answered, slightly reluctant.

"You're probabl the most badass girl I've ever met," I told her, turning the tap off.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asked, laughing slightly.

"I haven't decided," I winked at her. "C'mon, let's go join the others."


	15. The Broken Mask

**A/N: Hey guys, please read this!**

**So I just finished writing this, and I am drained. I cried while writing this. I've never seen a chapter so difficult to write, yet it's gotta be my favorite so far. I'm asking you to be open-minded, because this might seem a little out-of-character for some of you. Or not, I mean, I don't know, but I got the inspiration for this chapter after I had watched a particularly emotional scene in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air between Will and his dad, and it felt important to write this chapter. I really, really hope you enjoy this. Stay gold.**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night. In the moonlight, I could perceive the silhouettes of Johnny and Steve sleeping on the carpet with a pillow and a blanket, and Two-Bit, curled up in a ball on the armchair, all three fast asleep.

I sat up groggily to look at the clock on the wall. It read three in the morning. I groaned inwardly, wondering what could've possibly woken me up. Then, I heard it. A moan, barely audible, coming from Sodapop's old bedroom. That's where Dally was spending the night, recovering from his injuries. I waited a little while, then I heard some shifting and then another moan, louder this time. I shot a look in the direction of the hallway, where Darry and Ponyboy's bedrooms were, but I was clearly the only one awake aside from Dally. Darry didn't seem to have heard the tough greaser, so I decided to go and check on him myself. I was still a bit scared of Dally, and I felt like I did have my reasons to be, but I still wanted to make sure he was okay.

I stretched and slowly got up from the couch. Darry had leant me one of his t-shirts to wear to sleep since I didn't have a nightgown with me. The sleeves stopped at my elbows, and as I stood up, the hem of the t-shirt fell down to the middle of my thigh. I tiptoed through the living room, careful not to wake the boys. Once I reached Sodapop's bedroom door, I took a deep breath, and quietly opened it.

Dally was lying in bed, tangled in the bed sheets, tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position in which his ribs wouldn't hurt. A night lamp was turned on, throwing a soft yellowish light over the room. I assumed it was on in case Darry needed to walk in here during the night. Dally was bare chest, and in the light you could see the thin layer of sweat covering his entire body.

"Hey," I greeted quietly, announcing my presence.

Dally suddenly stopped moving in the sheets. He looked up at me and his pained face was instantly replaced by a mean look.

"What d'ya want?" he replied.

"You okay?" I asked shyly.

"I'm fine, now stop acting like a fucking nurse and get the hell outta here," he snapped. He tried to turn around so his back was facing me, but the moment he tried to move, his whole body tensed and his face twisted in pain, all tough looks instantly gone.

I sighed and leaned on the edge of the bed.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"Aspirin," he croaked out, giving up.

"Aspirin, got it," I mumbled to myself. I slipped out the bedroom and came back a few minutes later with two aspirins and a glass of water. Dally tried to sit up, but he was clearly struggling.

"Here, let me help you," I offered, grabbing one of his arm, but he quickly smacked my hand away.

"I don't need your help," he protested. He sat up, although with difficulty and grabbed the aspirins and the glass of water and swallowed both pills at the same time. He put the half-full glass of water back on the bedside table.

"You're welcome," I said pointedly.

He didn't answer. He just laid back down, letting out a breath he had been holding.

"I was just trying to help you, but if you wanna be a jerk about it, fine," I snapped, turning on my heels. I was about to walk out the door when he asked:

"Do you like Pony?"

I froze on the spot. I turned around to see that a smirk was planted on his face.

"Why are you asking that?' I asked.

"Well, do you like him or not?"

"Answer my question."

"I asked you first."

I sighed. I went back to his bed and sat cross-legged on the side Dally wasn't occupying.

"I guess so," I sighed, feeling a blush creeping onto my face. "But it's not like he likes me back or anything."

"Girl, have you seen the way the kid looks at ya?" Dally asked, a smirk planted on his face. "I ain't no Cupid, but I've been hanging out with Pony for a few years now. I've never seen him like this, I swear."

"I don't believe you," I shrugged, blushing even more furiously.

"Fine, don't, see for yourself if he ever gets the nerves to tell ya," he slowly bended one of his legs to tuck it back in the sheets, eyes crunching slightly in pain.

"Why are you so mean to me?" I asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, why are you so mean to me?" I repeated.

He looked up at me and blinked a few times before answering.

"I'm never nice," he answered simply.

"Why not?" I asked, grabbing the sheets on top of his chest and smoothing them so he was more comfortable.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" he snapped.

Maybe it was because of his injured state, or the calmness of the room, as we were both talking in hushed voices, but in that moment, Dallas Winston didn't scare me as much as he usually does.

"I wish I could break into that head of yours," I declared, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"Well, cops have tried to do that and they failed. You can try all you want but I wouldn't get my hopes up," he shrugged.

"That's not what I mean," I groaned, running my hand through my hair.

"I'm not getting you and you're slightly annoying," Dally said.

"You weren't born mean, were you?" I stated.

He groaned.

"That's something a rich kid would say. See, I wasn't born mean but I was born poor, and when you weren't born in the privilege, missy, you gotta work twice as hard. You gotta toughen up. I never got to be nice. Who needs nice when everyone including your own folks think you're a piece of trash? Who needs nice when you spend half of your life in the cooler, which does nothing but break you?"

I was speechless. I ran my hands over the sewing lines in the comforter, feeling embarrassed. Ponyboy had told me Dallas grew up in New York City during one of our conversations in Science class. Clearly, he had left out the rough parts. I hadn't been prepared for an answer like that.

"I…" I started. "I just wish you'd know that you don't have to suffer alone, Dally."

"Who said anything about suffering? I'm doing just fine on my own, Mary. Who needs family when you got your gang? My mom ran out on me and my old man could do the same thing tomorrow and it wouldn't make any difference."

He was getting really worked up. I had never seen Dally so angry. I tried to say something but he kept going.

"Who needs him anyway? I learned everything I needed to know about life without him teaching me a thang, I had several great birthday parties with this gang right here without him buying me a goddamn present!"

"Dally, you know it's alright to be upset-"

"No, you know what, Mary?" he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm gonna get a good job, I'm gonna marry a beautiful chick and I'm gonna have two or three kids and I'm gonna be a better goddamn father than he ever was, 'cause if there's one fucking thing, he'll never be able to teach me, is how to love my kids!"

Silence. Dally let out a quivering breath, tears threatening to spill.

"See, Mary? That's being a greaser. And don't give me that "grass ain't greener on the other side" bullshit because I know damn well that these big-time Socs have folks who love them to go home to and I don't."

I could hardly believe what I was seeing or hearing. Dallas Winston was crying. He wiped his tears angrily with the back of his hand, but he was crying. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was crying too. Maybe he was a lot more broken than I thought.

We looked at each other, and through our tears, we both burst out laughing. It was a short-lived moment, his ribs hurting too much for him to laugh, but it was still a great moment, and it was gold.

"I should probably go back to bed," I said, realizing I had been in here for a while.

"Okay," he simply answered, wiping his eyes once more with the back of his hand.

I got up and was about to open the door when he stopped me once more.

"Hey, Mary?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell any of the boys about this. I do have a tough reputation to live by."

"Thats' really all you're worried about?" I asked, laughing slightly. "Of course, your secret is safe with me. Goodnight, Dal."

I walked out of the room and tiptoed my way back to the couch.

Now don't get me wrong, I could never love Dallas Winston. I cared too much and he cared too little, but tonight, I had broken his mask, and what I had seen through the cracks was beautiful.


	16. Pony & Mary Sitting in a Tree

**A/N: Hello fellow greasers! I'm still pretty insecure about this chapter, but let me know what you think! Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated! Stay gold. :)**

XxX

_May 21, 1966_

*Two-Bit's POV*

It was Saturday morning, and both Soda and Darry had the day off. These days didn't happen very often, and that kind of day would've been spent playing football in the lot if the Soc who had beaten up Dally had fought fairly. The whole gang including Mary was sprawled out all over the living. Dally had resumed his previous position on the couch, thanks to Darry, who was now applying ice on Dally's ribs again.

A morning episode of Mickey Mouse played on so loudly that nobody heard the phone ringing at first, especially me, since I was the closest to the TV. It was only at the second ring that Darry heard it and ran to get it.

"Turn the thing down!" he shouted at me.

I glared at him, but turned down the volume anyway, not wanting to mess with Darry.

"Hello?" answered Darry, pressing the phone to his ear. "Yeah, he is. - He's fine. - Okay, hold on."

He pressed the phone to his chest.

"Dally, it's Sylvia on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

Sylvia. She must've heard from Tim or someone about what had happened if she was calling here. Dally slowly sat up on the couch before getting up. He seemed to be in pain, but he was still able to walk the short distance from the couch to the phone. Luckily, the phone was located on a small table next to the armchair and he was able to plop down in the chair. Dally picked up the phone from Darry's hand and the oldest Curtis went back to sit on the couch.

"Hello?" Dally said into the receiver. We all looked at each other, a sly grin painted on each of our faces. This was gonna be good.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sylvia, just a few bruises on my ribs, that's all," he said, answering Sylvia's question, which we didn't hear. "How'd you hear about what happened?"

Dally listened to what his girlfriend was saying, momentarily glaring at us as we were all staring at him expectantly, grinning like grade school kids.

"Well, thanks for calling," he said.

"Say it, say it," I whispered, egging him on, grinning from ear to ear. Dally glared at me. He clearly hated having an audience. He knew what I meant, and the whole gang was waiting for it. He sighed.

"I love you too, baby," he finally mumbled.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW…" screamed the whole gang, including Mary.

Dally rolled his eyes so hard I'm pretty sure he saw his brain. I could hear Sylvia laughing onto the other end of the line. Dally hung up the phone, grabbed the pillow on the armchair and threw it at me, hitting me in the face before I could dodge it.

"Hey!" I said, pretending to be offended. "I was just trying to help you!"

"Dally has a heart!" Sodapop said admirably, winking at Dally.

"Say one more word, and yours won't be beating no more," Dally threatened.

Sodapop kept laughing but he didn't say anything. The risk was too big, I thought, turning back up the volume of the TV almost to the max and gluing my eyes to the screen for the last few minutes of Mickey Mouse.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

Later that night, Steve, Johnny and Two-Bit had gone home. Dally was sleeping in Sodapop's bedroom, and Pony and I were watching a sunset, sitting on the back steps of the Curtis house, which had grown gradually quiet since the morning. My uncle and my aunt would be back early tomorrow morning, so I knew I had to go home, but I still wanted to wait a while longer, enjoying Ponyboy's company more than my brother's lately.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ponyboy asked suddenly.

"Of course," I answered, smiling softly.

"Last week, when you were upset, why did you come here?" he asked. "I thought you hated me."

"I did," I answered honestly, looking down. "I came because I didn't have anybody to talk to, aside from you. I don't know a lot of people around town."

"So if you hated me so much, what changed?"

"My perception of you guys, I guess. Getting to know you and all," I answered pensively. "Why are you asking me these questions though?"

He didn't answer right away. The sky was turning different shades of orange and yellow as the sun was setting on the horizon.

"I don't know, I… I just really like being around you, and, um, I…" he started. I looked at him, and that's when I realized he was blushing. I grabbed his hand and smiled at him, ignoring my heart pounding in my chest at that simple physical contact.

"Me too," I answered confidently, looking at him.

He stared back for a moment. He seemed nervous, but he didn't withdraw his hand from mine, which I took as a good sign. The orange light of the setting sun was casting really flattering shadows on his face, defining his features.

He looked handsome.

"Do you mind if I do this?" he asked, brushing back a loose strand of my dark hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear.

"No," I answered.

"Do you mind if I do this?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand over my cheek.

"No," I answered. _Dear heart, please start cooperating right now. Sincerely, me._

"Do you mind if I do… this?"

He pressed his lips softly to mine before pulling back shortly after. He looked at me expectantly. I shook my head, unable to speak and kissed him back.

My heart swelled up in my chest. All my senses were wide awake. I cupped his cheek in my hand and he tangled his hand in my hair. I don't remember for how long we kissed like that, I just knew I had never felt more alive. When we finally pulled back, the sun had disappeared and it was time for me to go home. Darry would give me a ride.

"That was…" he started, out of breath.

"Amazing?" I suggested, still slightly dazed.

"I think that's an understatement," he giggled nervously.

We walked back into the house a few minutes later, finding Darry walking out of Soda's bedroom with medical tape in his hands.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, not suspicious of what had just happened.

"Yeah," I answered, my voice a little bit more high-pitched than usual.

"Alright, well, let's go," he said.

I turned towards Ponyboy. His eyes were unnaturally bright with life.

"I'll call you tomorrow?" I suggested, smiling at him tenderly.

"Sure," he answered. "Good night."

"Good night, Pony."

With that, I walked out the door after Darry, feeling light as a feather.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I slipped into bed that night, my mind still racing, feeling still slightly dazed about what had just happened with Mary. I remembered every detail vividly. How her soft hand had slipped in mine, how the sunset casted a beautiful glow on her face, making her look even more beautiful than usual. How her soft lips felt against mine, everything.

Sodapop turned off the light and slipped into bed, draping an arm over my shoulder.

"How was your evening?" he asked.

I wondered if he had seen us. I was dying to tell him what had happened, but I refrained. I felt like this was a special moment, like a secret between Mary and I. A Soc kissing a greaser. That would obviously be forbidden by her aunt and uncle.

"It was good," I answered simply.

I thought he had fallen asleep when he added.

"There's something different about you." I could hear the grin in his voice. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

I couldn't help it. I smiled.


	17. Vietnam

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took forever for me to update, but here's the seventeenth chapter, I hope you enjoy! Please review and let me know what you think! They're highly highly appreciated! Stay gold. :)**

XxX

_May 22, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

The next day, Two-Bit, Johnny, Ponyboy and I were all hanging out for the afternoon and we stopped by the Dingo to grab something to eat. Things hadn't changed between Ponyboy and I since last time we saw each other, with the exception of the occasional flirtatious glance. We had all came down to the Dingo for lunch (I had told my aunt and uncle I was going out with a bunch of Socs). Sodapop and Steve were both working at the DX all day, and Darry was working all day on a new construction development on the west side of town. As for Dally, well, he apparently left the Curtis house that morning looking much better and we hadn't heard of him since.

"Can I ask you a question, Mary?" Two-Bit asked between two mouthfuls of fries.

My heart jumped. Had he found out about Pony and I? He couldn't have. I hadn't told anyone, not even my brother, and from the look on Pony's face, he hadn't either.

"Sure," I shrugged as casually as I could.

He cleared his throat and settled his elbows on the table, ignoring the looks he got from a bunch of middle class kids at the table next to us who were minding their manners so much they looked like they had popped right out of a social guidance video.

"Do you guys really ride sleigh dogs around up north?" he asked, looking genuinely interested.

I was so surprised, I started laughing. So that's what he was wondering?

"Of course, we do," I answered, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Every Canadian owns a sleigh dog, a polar bear and a moose, that way we get to choose which one we use to get to school. We usually choose the one who survived the evening blizzard. Usually it's the polar bear. We tried having cars but there's just soooo much snow, you know?"

Ponyboy nearly choked on his Pepsi as he burst out laughing. Even Johnny giggled as Two-Bit looked at me, wondering if I was telling the truth or if I was kidding. I looked at him with fake annoyance.

"Of course we don't ride sleigh dogs around. Cars and warmth does exist outside of America, you know."

"Okay, but does it snow like, all year?" he asked.

"No. Our winters are pretty long, usually six months, but we do get summers where it gets really warm. Not as much as down here, but still, you get the idea," I answered. "My whole family used to go camping for a weekend in July. It was like a family tradition."

"That reminds me," Two-Bit said suddenly. He rummaged in one of the pockets of his leather jacket and flipped out a picture. He handed it to me.

"I've been meaning to give it to you but I kept forgetting. I saw it fall out of your bag on your first day of school," he explained. My heart swelled in my chest. It was the picture of my family in Canada. The one I'd lost on the first day of school. I grabbed it delicately. It was a bit roughed up around the edges and folded in some places, but it was still the same picture. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I blinked them away rapidly.

"Thank you, Two-Bit," I whispered, touched.

"No problem, ma'am," he answered, flashing one of his usual cocky grin.

I slipped the picture into my bag pocket, feeling immense gratitude. However, a sudden look at the time snapped me back to reality.

"It's already four! I promised Uncle Frank I'd help him around the stables before dinner! I really have to go!" I said, jumping up from my seat.

"I'll give you a lift," Two-Bit said, getting up as well.

"Thanks, Two-Bit," I said.

"Are you guys coming along?" he turned towards the two other boys.

"Might as well," Johnny said.

"I gotta go home, Darry wanted me to straighten up the house before he got home," Ponyboy said. "We'll see you tomorrow, then?"

I turned at him and smiled softly.

"Yes, see you tomorrow," I said, before walking out of the Dingo with Two-Bit and Johnny.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I walked into the house and heard some rummaging. Sodapop was already home and was straightening up the living room. Darry wasn't home yet.

"Hey, Soda," I greeted, joining him with the cleaning.

"Hey, little buddy, where've you been?" he greeted back.

"At the Dingo with Two-Bit, Johnny and Mary," I answered, picking up a pile of books on the coffee table and putting them in the bookshelf next to the couch.

"Now, that is one fine girl, is it?" he asked.

"Sure, she is," I answered, feeling myself going red in the face. I hadn't told Sodapop anything yet.

"Did you guys have fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, we did," I answered.

"Hey, did you hear about Dal at all since he left this morning?" Sodapop asked me, eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"No. He's probably hanging out at Buck's or something," I shrugged. "Maybe he went by his place, if his old man was in a good mood."

We didn't speak for a while after that. I got started on our bedroom and Soda got started on the bathroom. Everything seemed normal. It was only half an hour later, when we both got started on dinner that he spoke again.

"You know, Mary really seems to like you a lot," Soda said.

I blushed again. I decided it was about time I told him. It was only a kiss, after all. No big deal, I told myself. I took a deep breath.

"Actually, about that…" I started.

He stopped mixing the chicken broth in the pot he was holding to look at me.

"What'd you do…?" he started in a sly voice.

"Um… well… we kissed, actually," I mumbled, blushing even more furiously.

"When?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"… Last night?" I answered hesitantly, a shy smile creeping onto my face.

"So that's what was so different about you! I was right, after all!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess so…"

"No way," Soda said. "No. Freaking. Way. My thirteen year-old brother can score a girl as well as me! I should start getting jealous…"

"Cut it out," I said, but I was smiling. Soda was proud of me.

"You're becoming a man, Pony! You should be proud of yourself, getting a girl like that!" he congratulated me, patting me on the back.

"I didn't _get _her. I dunno, it's different between me and her."

"She's a Soc, that's the only trouble. She is one sweet girl, though," Sodapop said.

"She is," I agreed.

I finished cutting up the vegetables and threw them in the pot which Soda was busy stirring. That's when I noticed three letters on the kitchen table.

I walked over to them and looked them up. Two bills, which were both addressed to Darry. He wouldn't be happy about those, I thought darkly. I looked at the last letter and I felt my breath catch up in my throat.

It was a letter, addressed to Sodapop Curtis. It was already opened, which meant Sodapop had already read it. I looked over my shoulder to see if Sodapop was looking, but he seemed too busy to notice. I unfolded the letter carefully and read it over and over, unable to wrap my mind around it.

It was a letter for Vietnam.

"S-Soda?" I called, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

"Yeah?" Soda called from the kitchen, unfazed about the tone in my voice.

I walked in the doorway, still holding the letter. I probably looked as pale as I felt. My whole world seemed to be crumbling down.

"What's this?" I asked.

Soda sighed. He kind of shrugged and went back to the cooking. I had never seen him so serious since Mom and Dad's funeral.

"You weren't gonna tell me?" I asked accusingly.

"I was Pony, it's just that -" he started.

"Your own brother. After all we've been through, you wanted to hide something like that from me?" I snapped, voice rising angrily. "How could you be so selfish, Soda? You're all we got left, and…" I couldn't go on. My entire world seemed to be crumbling down. I felt my throat getting tight and I struggled to swallow back tears. I had lost my parents, and now I was gonna lose my brother. Nothing seemed fair. I felt my knees go weak, and I let myself slide along the doorway. Soda immediately stopped whatever it is he was doing and dropped down next to me.

"Easy there, little buddy. It's not a draft letter," he said.

"Wh-what?" I asked, suddenly startled.

"It's only an invitation. Propaganda, ya dig? I don't have to go if I don't want to yet," Sodapop reassured me.

"So, are you going?" I asked, suddenly scared he would.

"Of course not, Pony. I ain't going nowhere. Darry needs me to pay the bills and all," Sodapop answered, squeezing Ponyboy's shoulder protectively. "Come on, give me a hand with dinner will ya?"

He helped me up. Relief washed over me. I calmed down as easily as I had panicked. My brother wasn't going to war and I was slowly falling in love for the first time with a girl who really liked me back. Everything was gonna be just fine. Sodapop got started on the meat as I watched over the pot. Everything was normal again. For now.


	18. Quiet

**A/N: Hello fellow greasers! I was feeling inspired, so here's the eighteenth chapter. Hope you like it! Reviews are highly appreciated, so please let me know what you think! Love, Belle. Stay gold. x**

XxX

*3rd POV*

One month flew by. This only goes to show how much things can change in a month. Shortly after their first kiss, Mary Jane and Ponyboy went steady. The whole gang found out and everybody was thrilled. They teased Ponyboy a whole lot about it since it was his first real girlfriend, but they made it very clear that they were all proud of him. Every Saturday night, Ponyboy and Mary would sit on the back steps of Ponyboy's house and watch a sunset together. It became sort of a tradition.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma were both oblivious of the relationship. They still believed Mary was friends with Socs. The young girl had told her brother Jake about her and Ponyboy, and although he was less than happy about the news, he kept her secret. Mary's life was taking a turn for the better now. Not only was she dating who she felt was the greatest person on earth, she was also taking regular riding lessons with her uncle and by the end of June, she didn't need them anymore. Her relationship with Zayn was strong and she knew her horse more than anyone else. Jake was having more trouble with his, Mickey Mouse being so stubborn, but he eventually got through to him. Mary had everything. A loving, yet close-minded home, a horse she knew well and loved deeply, great grades at school and above all, she had Pony. Just that last part was enough to her.

He proved to be a real gentleman. She knew he couldn't afford fancy dates like the ones the Socs went on, but he still insisted on taking her out to dinner and going to the movies every now and then. When the fair came to town, they went together. They were like a real couple, except the fact that they had to be careful about not letting Mary's uncle and aunt find out about them.

But Mary became more than that to the gang. More than Ponyboy's girlfriend. She became the gang's mother / sister in a strange sort of way. She was like Wendy Darling to the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, if you like the comparison. She was the piece of humanity and the touch of motherly love that was missing within the group. They became so close that Mary soon knew everyone's lives, home situations and interests. When the end of the school year rolled around and the drama club presented their spring play, the whole gang went to see it. Even Dally was there, even if he declared openly at least a hundred times that plays made his stomach sick. Mary was very pleased to see him there. Very soon, classes were ending and the heat became overwhelming in the Tulsa streets, as if it wasn't unbearably hot already. For all they knew, life was taking a turn for the best.

How very wrong they were.

XxX

_June 17, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

I strolled through the east side of town on my way to Ponyboy's house. It was Friday night, and the three brothers had been gone on a fishing trip since Darry and Soda had a few days off and Ponyboy was done with his Freshman exams. I knew they were gonna be back tonight, and I decided to drop by their house to wait for them. The outside air was hot and dry, even though it was early in the evening. The streets of the east side had become familiar to me, so familiar I had no trouble getting to Ponyboy's place. I even recognized a few greasers I saw often on my way to the Curtises. I'd wave at them and they'd wave back. Sure, my clothes made me look out of place, but I still felt like I belonged there more than I ever did on the east side.

When I climbed the porch steps and tried the door, I wasn't surprised to find it unlocked. I knew where the spare key was, just in case, but that was never a necessity. The Curtis house was always unlocked, whether they were gone or not, for if Johnny or Dally or any greaser for that matter needed a place to crash for the night. I used to think that was creepy and unsafe, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like this was just a very kind way of looking out for each other.

I walked into the familiar house to find it empty. I expected to find a greaser on the couch, but no one was there. I went to the bookshelf, grabbed "The Catcher in the Rye", one of Ponyboy's favorite books, and plopped down on the couch, tucking my skirt underneath my legs and curling up in a ball. I started reading as I waited for the Curtis brothers to come home.

I didn't get to read for very long though, because in walked Dallas Winston, only half an hour later, as I was really getting into the story.. He didn't make any noise on his way up the porch and when the greaser walked in, he scared the living daylights out of me.

"Glory, Dal," I gasped. "Ever heard of making noise to announce your presence?"

"I didn't think you'd be here," he shrugged, plopping down on the couch.

I could tell from one look at him that he was really nervous. He sat straighter than usual, bit his lip nervously and wiped his palms onto his jeans.

"What's the matter?" I asked, frowning as I closed the book and set it on the coffee table.

He took a deep breath. Usually, Dally would just shrug and act tough about things. This wasn't normal. Whatever it was that was worrying him, it must've been real serious.

"Prom is really the worst invention in the world, now, is it?" he suddenly said, looking at me.

I was startled.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting more and more confused.

"Well, I wasn't supposed to go to prom, since I'm a Junior and all, but Sylvia asked me, since she's graduating, and um… well, I said I'd go," he said, head dropping in his hands miserably.

"What's the big deal? School dances can be fun!" I said, sitting up, a smile creeping onto my face.

"Well, that's the thing," he mumbled. "I don't know how to dance."

I was so surprised I started laughing.

"It's NOT funny!" he growled, more serious than ever.

"I'm so sorry," I said, struggling to regain composure. "It's just, of all the things you could be worried about… "

"I know it's stupid and all but don't rub it in," Dally snapped.

"Sorry," I said, finally able to stop laughing. "It's fairly easy though. Do you want me to teach you?"

"What? Here?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, nobody's gonna be home for a while" I answered.

"Alright, but don't show me all the fancy stuff you were doing up on that stage, I ain't itchin' to get laughed at by some Soc," he shrugged.

I laughed.

"I won't," I reassured him, getting up. "Now, let's see…"

I walked over to the small table next to the bookshelf where the record player and the records were. I sat down on the floor to look into the records box and came across an Elvis album. I looked in the back to find out if there were any slow songs I knew. I immediately spotted one and put the record in the record player. Soon, the first notes of "Can't Help Falling in Love" resonated in the living room.

I took Dally's hand and led him to the middle of the room and stood facing him.

"Okay, so it's easy. Put this hand in mine," I said, taking his left hand and wrapping it in my right one. "Then, wrap your other one around my waist."

He complied, and I rested my other hand on his shoulder, leaning in closer to him, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Now, close your eyes, and just listen to the beat of the music," I ordered.

"This is stupid," Dally grumbled, sighing exasperatedly.

"Just try it," I insisted. I heard Dally sigh over my head and the silence that followed proved to me he had complied.

"Now, just let your whole body sway to the beat of the music, focusing on the hips, and use the arm around my waist to guide me."

He complied and very soon, both of us were swaying in circles to the sound of Elvis's baritone voice, clumsily at first, and more confidently as the song dragged on.

The song ended and we broke apart. I looked up at him and smiled.

"See? It's easy, you just gotta feel the music," I explained.

"Yeah," he said, looking down at his toes, seemingly embarrassed.

"You know, you're pretty good for someone who claims to be shit at dancing," I complimented.

"Shut up," he mumbled. I didn't insist, nor did I take it personally. I knew Dallas Winston by now. He just wasn't used to ask for help, and his ego was too big to take compliments like that. I didn't blame him.

Both of our heads snapped up at the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. I immediately spotted Darry's truck and smiled excitedly. I removed the vinyl from the record player and put it back in his place before running out of the house.

"Hey guys!" I greeted, running towards my boyfriend.

"Hey, Mary!" they all said at once.

"Hey, Pony," I greeted more quietly as I got close to him.

"Hey," he greeted back, planting a kiss on my lips. "I missed you."

"Me too. Did you guys catch something?" I asked.

"Yeah, we did," he said proudly.

"C'mon. Let me help you," I offered.

I grabbed a few bags from the truck and carried them inside as Dally joined in to help. I didn't mention him learning how to dance and neither did he. He was too self-conscious about it.

After an hour, all the bags were out of the car and unpacked. Dally left shortly after that, mumbling something about meeting with Shepard.

Pony and I plopped down on the couch, both relieved that the work was done.

"What'd you do while I was gone?" he asked.

"I mostly hung around the stables, helping my uncle with the horses," I answered. "How was your trip?"

"It was real fun. We don't get to hang out together a lot since Mom and Dad died, with Darry working all the time, so it was good," he said. "I'm tired though."

"You still up for something tonight? We can do something some other time if you'd rather rest," I started.

"Nah, it's fine. Let's go to the movies. There's a movie I wanna see."

"Alright," I said.

"Darry!" Pony called from his spot on the couch.

"What is it, Pone?" Darry called back from the kitchen.

"Could you give Mary and I a lift to the movies?" I asked.

"I dunno, Pone… It's getting late, maybe you ought to stay home tonight," he said, walking into the living room.

"C'mon, Dar! If we leave now we'll get there in time for the last screening. I'll come back right after, promise."

Darry seemed to be weighing the pro's and con's.

"Alright, then," Darry shrugged. "But after the movie, you guys are coming straight home, ya hear?"

"Deal," Ponyboy said, getting up and grabbing my hand. "Come on, Mary, let's go."

XxX

*Darry's POV*

I was driving to the movie theater, Ponyboy and Mary sitting close together in the back seat. Ponyboy was telling her excitedly all about our fishing trip, and Mary was smiling and listening with interest.

I stopped at an intersection and waited for the light to go green. I smiled to myself. Ponyboy and Mary were really good together. I was a bit worried when they started dating, with Ponyboy being so young and with Mary being a Soc, but it turned out to be a perfect match.

The light turned green and I pressed onto the accelerator. I was halfway through the crossroad when suddenly, I heard the sound of screeching tires on the right side of the car. All I saw was blinding lights and all I heard was the sound of metal hitting metal, glass breaking and Mary's high-pitched scream resonating from the back of the car. I pressed on the break, but the impact on the side of the truck sent the car spinning out of control. I finally managed to stabilize the car and when I finally did, time stood still. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.


	19. Ambulance Ride & Hospitals

**A/N: Hello my fellow greasers! So, I felt inspired, and I felt like it was too cruel to leave you on this big of a cliffhanger for very long so, well, here's chapter 19! Enjoy! Please let me know what you think in the reviews! Stay gold.**

XxX

*Darry's POV*

When I snapped out of my dazed state, my first reflex was to move my arms and legs around. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach, but other than that, I was seemingly uninjured. That's when I remembered the two kids sitting in the backseat, and that's also when I realized that the car hit the backseat on Ponyboy's side.

"Pony? Mary?" I called. No answer. The car door was caved in and the sky outside was getting dark, so I couldn't see anything. I had to get to him.

I quickly turned down the engine, opened my car door and stepped out of the vehicle. I went to Mary's side, where the door wasn't caved in and managed to open it, adrenaline rushing through my entire body. As I opened the car door, I felt a heavy weight drop down on me. Mary was unconscious, and she was leaning on the car door before I opened it. I carefully grabbed her before she'd fall and cautiously lifted her away from the car to settle her on the ground. Her arms and legs were cut in several places, probably from the broken glass and bruises were starting to form. A huge lump was forming on the side of her head, explaining why she was passed out. She had glass pieces stuck in her hair. I made sure she was alive and breathing before I dived back into the car to rescue my baby brother. The silent and motionless form in the front seat of the other car should've worried me, but my only concern was getting my baby brother out of there. I could hear sirens getting closer. Somebody must've seen the accident and called for help, I thought.

I dived into the back seat, being careful to avoid all the glass pieces and the car debris, and after what felt like forever, I reached my baby brother.

"Pony?" I asked. He didn't answer. I carefully wrapped an arm around his waist and picked him up, pulling him towards me.

"I've got you, Pony, I've got you, we're gonna get you outta here," I reassured him even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

I managed to take him out of the car and settled him carefully on the ground next to Mary, and what I saw horrified me.

Glass piece made deep cuts all over his body including his face. Blood seemed to be leaking from everywhere. Matted in his hair, soaking through his t-shirt, streaming down his face like tears. One part of his skull was sticking out abnormally, where he hit his head, I presumed. His whole body was already starting to bruise, painting his pale skin black and blue.

"Pony?" I called again, shaking his shoulder gently.

No answer. I started to panic as I looked down at my hands, which were stained with my brother's blood.

"C'mon, baby, you gotta wake up for me," I said, louder this time, holding back tears. I couldn't lose him. Not like we did Mom and Dad.

I was checking for breathing and pulse, which were both very weak, when the whole scene was suddenly illuminated with car lights and blue and red lights from two police cars. Three ambulances were already on the spot.

"Help!" I screamed at the wall of cars, on the verge of hysterics.

Several people got out of the cars and ran in different directions. Car doors slammed, orders were shouted. I couldn't leave Ponyboy and Mary. I had to stay with them.

A group of paramedics made their way to the other car and another one came towards us.

"Please, help them. Help my brother and his girlfriend," I begged them, tears threatening to spill.

"We will, just calm down, son," one of the men in uniform said.

"We need two stretchers over here!" another one barked.

"Can you tell us what happened?" the first man asked, dropping down next to me, bending over Ponyboy.

"I don't know, I-I was crossing the street and another car s-slammed into the side of my car," I stuttered, suddenly feeling cold.

"It's gonna be alright, son," he answered reassuringly. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so," I said.

As I was saying this, two groups of people arrived with two stretchers. They immediately circled Ponyboy and Mary and I was moved out of the way. I could see between shoulders and heads that they were strapping both Ponyboy and Mary into stretchers, putting something around Pony's head and neck to stabilize his head. They were putting oxygen masks over their mouths and noses. Everything happened so fast and the next thing I knew, the stretchers were pulled up on their wheels and as I saw my baby brother and Mary being carried away, my immediate thought was to stay with them.

I raced behind the paramedics as they hauled Ponyboy and Mary into different ambulances. I climbed in behind the paramedics into the ambulance that was carrying Ponyboy and no one objected. I sat down in one of the seats next to the stretcher and held onto Ponyboy's hand for dear life. His hand fell limply in mine, his unconscious state preventing him from squeezing back.

As we raced to the hospital, the paramedic who was sitting next to me draped a blanket over my shoulders. I tried to shake it off, too worried about Ponyboy, but the paramedic insisted.

"Here, it helps for shock," he said.

I looked at him, startled as he draped the blanket over my shoulders once again. This time, I didn't object. It's only then that I realized how hard I was shaking. The whole situation must've been hitting me harder than I thought. I couldn't let it get to me though. I had to be strong for not only Ponyboy, but also for Mary, who was alone in the other ambulance in front of us.

XxX

When we got to the hospital, Ponyboy and Mary were both immediately taken away before I could do or say anything. I just watched helplessly as they carried Ponyboy, looking broken and vulnerable on the stretcher. One nurse from the hospital walked out with a wheelchair and despite my protest, she made me sit down in it. I was carried away in a different direction from Pony and Mary, into an examination room.

The nurse instructed me to lie down on the bed, which I did with reluctance. I kept telling her I was fine and that they didn't have to worry about me but she wouldn't have it. She started taking my pulse and flashing lights into my eyes, jotting down notes on a clipboard. A doctor came in a few minutes later.

"Hello, Mr. Curtis. I'm Dr Green," he greeted. "I'm just going to check you up to make sure you're alright."

"Thank you, doctor, but as I was telling this nurse, I'm completely fine. I didn't get hit in the head or anything," I said.

"Are you absolutely certain?" the doctor asked as he pressed down on the sides of my neck and the back of my head with his gloved hands.

"Positive," I replied.

The doctor was quiet for a moment before he instructed me to take my shirt off, which I did. He started poking and prodding at a few bruises that were starting to form on my arms. He pressed down on my side.

"Does this hurt?" he asked. I shook my head, getting slightly impatient. I decided I should ask him if he knew anything.

"Do you know if my brother and his girlfriend are alright, sir? Their names are Ponyboy Curtis and Mary Jane Evans. They came in at the same time I did," I asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about their condition, as they're not my patients. Even if I did, I could only tell you about Ponyboy, but don't worry. We've contacted Mary Jane's guardian and he's on his way right now. You can join him in the waiting room if you'd like, since everything seems to be in order here."

I froze. Mary's uncle didn't know anything about Mary seeing greasers. Mary had slipped in a word or two about her uncle's thoughts on greasers, and the simple thought made me shudder. The secret was out.


	20. Guilt & Test Results

**A/N: Hello my fellow greasers! Hope you have all been well! Here's chapter 20, I hope you enjoy it! :)**

**I would like to point out, however, that I am NOT a certified nurse, nor a doctor, so I'm using my limited medical knowledge to write this fanfiction, and I apologize if some things mentioned in the next chapters are inaccurate or incorrect.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Darry's POV*

On my way to the waiting room, I stopped by a phone booth and called home.

"Hello?" came Sodapop's voice from the other end of the line.

I felt my heart squeezing in my chest. For the first time since the accident, I felt a strong guilt feeling in my gut. I willed myself not to cry.

"Soda, it's Darry," I said. "Listen, you gotta come over here. I'm at the hospital. There's been an accident and Ponyboy and Mary are both injured."

"Oh my God." I heard Soda say under his breath. I heard voices in the background quieting down. "Are they gonna be okay, Dar?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly, fighting against tears. "Can you get the rest of the gang to come over, too?"

"They're all here already. We'll be there in no time," Sodapop answered. Then, he hung up.

I hung up the receiver and turned towards the waiting room. I thought about Mary's uncle. There was no point in denying it anymore. He had to know. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door that led to the waiting room.

Surprisingly, the waiting room was completely empty, with the exception of a middle-aged man and woman sitting together and next to them, a teenage boy, about Sodapop's age. Mary's brother, I thought. Jake. The resemblance between the two was striking. Same hair and eyes, same defined features. The only obvious differences were that his hair was shorter and he seemed much taller and much broader. He wasn't as lean than I expected him to be.

They all looked up when they heard me walk in. All three of them took one look at my greased hair, and they all had different reactions. The corners of the woman's mouth dropped down in disgust, Jake simply shrugged, as though it was no surprise and the man just kept staring at me with a blank expression in his eyes before he nodded towards the chair facing him, motioning for me to sit down, which I did. My heart was pounding. In any other situation, I would've stood up for myself, but now that I had nearly killed Mary, nothing I could've said seemed like a good excuse.

"You must be Darrel," the man said, his voice empty of emotions. I could only nod, fighting against the lump of guilt in my throat.

"I'm Frank Sanders. Mary Jane's uncle," he said. He held out a hand for me to shake and I shook it mechanically.

"Have you had any news, yet?" I asked.

"No, not yet," he answered.

There was a moment of really awkward silence. I was looking for a way to apologize, but everything I came up with sounded stupid.

"Look," I finally said. "I'm really, really sorry about all this-"

"How long has this been going on?" he asked sharply and I knew he meant her seeing us. I knew there was no point in lying anymore.

"A little over a month. My little brother and her are dating, actually," I answered honestly.

Mr Sanders swore under his breath at my last statement. He looked over at Jake, who had his eyes focused on the floor.

"Did you know about this?" Mr Sanders asked him.

Jake nodded, staring at his shoes like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mr Sanders suddenly exclaimed, turning bright red from anger. "You know these people are dangerous! Mary Jane didn't listen, and look where she is now! I've been living in this town for much longer than you have, Jacob Evans, and I'm in a better position to judge what's safe and what's not around here."

"No, I don't think you are," I snapped, suddenly boiling with anger. "Look, sir, Mary has been hanging out with use because she wanted to. Nobody in our gang would ever hurt her and we've been treating her as nicely as any person could and we've been looking out for her. Tonight was an accident. I wasn't driving recklessly, I wasn't drunk or on any drugs. A car slammed into the side of my car."

"I don't think you understand, young man," Mr Sanders continued, all civility gone from the conversation, his voice rising. "I have responsibility over that girl. I made the promise to my wife's sister that I would look after these two kids as if they were my own."

"I understand-" I started to say.

"No, you can't understand-" Mary's uncle went on, his voice rising even more.

"Yes, I do!" I yelled, my voice levelling out with his. "I do, because I made the same exact promise to my parents!"

Mary's uncle opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, as though changing his mind.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Mary's aunt finally said.

"Both my parents died in a car crash in February. They were hit by a train," I said. "I'm twenty, so I took custody of my two younger brothers. We live together now, just the three of us. So if you're stupid enough to think that I have no idea what it's like to unexpectedly become fully responsible of two teenagers, you're wrong."

The silence that followed was heavy with worry, regret and guilt. Mary's aunt finally cleared her throat and said:

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Maybe that's why Mary loves Pony so much. They can understand each other in a way that no one else can," I finished.

I looked at Mr Sanders. He and I exchanged glances, and even though he wouldn't admit it, I knew I had touched his heart.

"I just hope you don't expect that the little puppy love your brother and my niece have going on will be lasting after this mess," he finally said.

Just then, a doctor walked in, a different one from the one in the emergency room. He was holding a clipboard and he looked down at the file in front of him before calling.

"Mary Jane Evans and Ponyboy Curtis?"

All four of us were on our feet in a matter of seconds.

"Are you members of the family?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm Frank Sanders, Mary Jane's legal guardian and uncle," Mr Sanders said. "This is my wife, Gemma, and Mary Jane's brother, Jacob."

"And you?" he asked, turning towards me.

"I'm Ponyboy's brother and his legal guardian," I answered.

"Alright, well, I'm Doctor Johnson, Ponyboy and Mary are both my patients," the doctor said. "We have news about both of them. Mary Jane's condition his stable. Most of her injuries are superficial. She has some severe bruising across her back, a minor concussion, some bruising around her ribcage, a few minor cuts and bruises on her limbs and a sprained wrist, but I have no doubt that she'll make a full, quick recovery. However, we've looked into her file, and due to her medical history, we took a blood sample down to the labs to make a further analysis, but don't worry, it's just to be sure that everything's fine."

Medical history? Mary never said anything about getting sick before.

"Ponyboy's injuries are far more serious, I'm afraid," the doctor said, turning towards me. "There's no easy way to say this. His condition is unstable for the moment. He has a fractured skull and a severe concussion, along with two broken ribs, blood loss and several severe bruises. We've administered fluids and a blood transfusion to stabilize him as much as possible, and we've taken him for an MRI scan to make sure he doesn't have further brain damage. Once that's over with, we have to take him in surgery for his skull."

Surgery. Brain damage. I felt my stomach twist as a wave of nausea hit me with force. I willed myself not to cry, collapse or throw up in front of these people. I swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting my voice.

"The surgery should take a while, but I'll come back in a few hours to update you on how he's doing. Mary Jane woke up a few minutes ago, so if you would like to see her, you can come right this way," said Doctor Johnson to Mary's family.

Mary's family left with the doctor, leaving me behind, alone in the waiting room. I felt like I was gonna be sick.

Just then, the whole gang burst into the waiting room, Soda in lead, his eyes filled with tears of worry.

"Do you have any news?"

I could only nod. I sat down and so did the rest of the gang, Sodapop next to me. I told them that Mary's uncle and aunt knew about Mary seeing us and that they were gonna put a stop to it and I told them what the doctor had said. My declaration was followed by a long, heavy silence.

"And now we wait?" asked Two-Bit, more serious than I've ever seen him.

"And now we wait," I repeated.

I looked at Sodapop and what I saw broke my heart. He had big tears streaming down his face.

"It's gonna be okay, Soda," I said, squeezing his shoulder, even though I didn't believe myself.

"I know," he answered, although he didn't believe me. "It just brings back bad memories, that's all."

I knew he was talking about that day when all three of us were waiting in this exact waiting room to see our parents. A moment that never came.

"I'm so sorry, Pepsi-Cola," I said, and I couldn't hold my tears in anymore. I hugged him like my life depended on it as he cried too. The gang didn't say anything. They were all way too in shock and the situation was way too serious for them to say anything.

XxX

_June 18, 1966_

The sky was starting to go light outside when the doctor finally came in. Johnny and Dally were smoking to settle their nerves, but they put out their cigarette when they heard the doctor come in.

"Are you all members of the family?" he asked.

"We're about as close as a family gets," I answered.

"Very well," the doctor sat down in a chair next to us. "Ponyboy's out of surgery, and the surgery was successful. We've received the results from his MRI and luckily, he will not suffer permanent brain damage. His situation is stable and with a lot of time, he should make a full recovery, considering his young age."

I felt relief wash over me. Pony was going to be okay.

"You should know, however, that Ponyboy is still very injured, and his injuries will take time to heal. He hasn't woken up yet so I can't assess how long he will need to stay here. When he wakes up, his concussion could make him very confused and make him react very strongly to outside stimuli, just to warn you."

"When can we see him?" I asked.

"Right now, if you would like, although he is still unconscious," Doctor Johnson answered. "Now, I understand how close you are, but for now, I would like only immediate family in the room. Once we've fully assessed his condition, I have no problem with the others visiting, but for now, it's just as a precaution."

I looked at the others. Surprisingly, no one seemed to object. The doctor had been really nice to them, even though they were greasers and they didn't want to argue with the man.

"We'll wait here," Steve said with assurance.

"Alright," I answered. I wrapped an arm around Soda's shoulders as we both stood up and followed the doctor into a hallway, then a second.

"I do have to warn you," Doctor Johnson said over his shoulder. "He doesn't look good, but we're doing everything we can to make him better."

My heart raced in my chest. I didn't know what to expect. He had looked bad enough on the site of the accident…

The doctor stopped in front of a door and motioned us inside.

"I'll leave you alone with him. Make sure to call if he wakes up, though."

With that, he left. I squeezed Soda's shoulder reassuringly and we both walked into the room, expecting the worst.

I felt my heart drop in my stomach at the sight of my baby brother. They had cleaned up most of the blood, and his head was wrapped in thick bandages. I suspected some medical tape covered his ribs under his hospital gown and the sheets. His forearms were connected to a few IV's, and several wires disappeared into the collar of his hospital gown, connecting him to a heart monitor. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. He looked even smaller and vulnerable than usual, the hospital bed and the machines around him seemed to swallow him.

Sodapop was at his brother's side in a second, sitting down in a chair next to him and squeezing his brother's hand reassuringly. I sat on the other side of him and did the same, feeling more guilty than I'd ever felt in my life.


	21. Pain & Tears

**A/N: Hello fellow citizens of this website! Hope y'all are doin' well! Here's chapter 21! REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED, just letting that out there. Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Pony's POV*

Pain. That was the first thing I felt. It was everywhere. My ribs, my limbs, my back, but especially my head. Oh God, my head.

I couldn't remember a thing. I remembered talking to Mary and then everything going black. I had no idea where I was, I only knew that everything was quiet around me, except for a very annoying beeping sound that made my head throb painfully, and also that I seemed to be lying on something soft and comfortable.

"Pony?" a familiar voice called. "Pony, can you hear me?"

I wanted to answer, but something was over my mouth and nose. I grabbed it and moved it away but someone stopped me.

"Don't," another familiar voice said, placing the thing back over my mouth and nose.

My head was killing me. My hand travelled up and made contact with a thick bandage on my forehead. Strange.

"Don't touch it, Pony," the first familiar voice said, grabbing my hand and bringing it back down. I tried to sit up but the pain in my side intensified to an excruciating level. I moaned. I felt two hands pushing my shoulders back down.

"Quit movin' around, will ya?" said the second voice. Darry.

My eyelids felt like lead. I managed to open my eyes and when I did, everything was blurry and out of focus. I blinked a few times and things around me started getting clearer. That's when I spotted the two familiar faces of my brothers on either side of me, and around them, what seemed to be a hospital room.

"Wha- happened?" I asked, my hoarse voice coming out muffled because of what seemed to be an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose.

"You don't remember?" Darry said. "There was an accident on the way to the movies. You're at the hospital, Pony."

That's when I remembered everything. Blinding lights. The sound of metal hitting metal. Mary screaming. My breath caught up in my throat.

"Mary-" I started.

"She's alright, Pony. She's fine," Soda answered.

"Mary…" I repeated, starting to panic, my breath shortening, the beeping from the heart monitor picking up the pace.

"You'll see her soon, just calm down, okay baby? Don't get yourself worked up, Pone, or the doctor won't let us see you no more," Darry said.

It only then occurred to me that I might be really hurt. Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat walked in, followed by two women in white uniforms.

"Hello, Ponyboy," he greeted, smiling warmly. "Glad to see that you're awake."

I stared back. I didn't say anything. I didn't know who that man was.

"Mr. Curtis, Sodapop, would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes while we run a few tests?" asked the man. My eyes widened. Tests? What kinds of tests? I was starting to get scared. I wished wildly form Mom and Dad.

Soda and Darry got up but I clung to both their hands with all my strength. I didn't want them to go. I whimpered slightly, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Shh… Pony, its okay," reassured Soda, leaning over me. "Doctor Johnson just wants to make sure everything's fine. He's gonna help you, okay? We'll be waiting right outside that door over there. We're not going anywhere."

That was enough to calm me down. Darry and Soda both slipped their hands out of mine and walked out of the room, Sodapop flashing me a reassuring smile before disappearing in the doorway, leaving me alone with the doctor and the two nurses. The nurses moved around my bed, looking at the monitors and the oxygen tank, taking notes.

"I-it hurts…" I mumbled unintelligibly, tears leaking out of my eyes. I had no idea why I was crying, but the doctor seemed to catch on.

"Where do you feel pain, Ponyboy?" he asked.

I didn't answer, the lump in my throat preventing me from speaking as more tears came out from my eyes.

"It's alright, Ponyboy, what you're experiencing right now is completely normal," the doctor reassured me. "Now where does it hurt? Your side? Your head?"

I nodded, and the simple action of my head rubbing against the pillow made me wince and whimper.

"Can your rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?" the doctor asked. "One being barely there and ten being the worst pain you've ever felt in your life?"

"Nine," I croaked out.

The doctor looked at one of the IV bags.

"The morphine is wearing off," he told one of the nurses.

The nurse in question left the room and came back a few minutes later with another bag of clear liquid, which she replaced with the old one. She adjusted the speed as I asked the doctor:

"W-why does it hurt?" I asked. I couldn't get myself to stop crying for some weird reason.

"You have a concussion, a fractured skull and two broken ribs," the doctor answered. "You also lost quite a bit of blood. We took you into surgery when you got here last night."

Surgery? I didn't remember getting surgery. The medicine must've kicked in because I felt myself relaxing, the pain numbing slowly.

The doctor moved the sheets from my body down to my hips.

"I'm just going to check on your ribs to make sure they're taped properly," he explained. One of the nurses undid a knot around the neck of my hospital gown and slipped my arms out of the sleeves, bringing the gown down to my waist. On my bare chest, I could see the several electrodes stuck to my chest, connecting me to the heart monitor, and the ends of dark purple bruises sticking out from the tape around my ribcage.

The doctor very gently poked and prodded, careful not to hurt me. I didn't know what he was looking for, but after a while, he nodded and the nurse helped me back into my hospital gown and brought the sheets back up to my chest. He mumbled something I didn't understand to a nurse and she left the room.

"Everything seems to be normal," the doctor said. "I'll go outside and have a talk with your brothers while the nurses change the bandage on your head. They're also going to administer a mild sedative. It's nothing serious, it's just going to help you sleep through the day. We really need you to rest and we can't afford for you to get yourself worked up."

I would've protested if I wasn't already so out of it. The doctor walked out and the nurse came back in at the same time. She was pushing a trolley in. She smiled warmly at me as she prepared her equipment.

"Now, Pony, we're just going to disinfect your stitches with a cream we have here," she explained in a soothing voice. "It might sting just a little, but I promise you it's really not that bad. We're gonna change the bandage on your head right after, is that okay?"

I stared back at her. I nodded slowly. One of the nurses lifted my head and supported the back of my neck and the back of my head gently so I didn't have to hold myself up while the other one removed the bandage on my head. She applied antiseptic cream to the stitches. She was right. It did sting, but not like rubbing alcohol did or anything. This was fancy stuff. She wrapped my head again in clean bandages. The nurse who was holding my head up gently set it back down and adjusted my pillows so I was more comfortable. The nurse with the trolley prepared a shot of some kind of liquid I didn't recognize. She injected it into my arm before I could do anything and told me to count to thirty.

I made it to twenty-two before I fell into a deep slumber.

XxX

*Soda's POV*

Darry and I were both sitting in chairs outside of Ponyboy's room when the doctor walked out. Darry stood up first and I followed shortly after.

"So, what's the deal, Doctor Johnson?" Darry asked.

"Well, Ponyboy is more responsive than I thought he would be, which is a good sign. He is very shook up and very emotional, which is completely normal in this situation," the doctor explained. "Because of the seriousness of his injuries, we'll have to keep him here for a week. If everything goes according to plans, he should be released next Saturday, June 25. I would like him to stay in bed for a week after that, and to take it easy for the rest of the summer, since his ribs will take time to heal. I'll be making weekly appointments until the end of July for him to make sure his injuries are healing nicely."

"Can we see him now?" I asked.

"Yes, of course, but he'll be sleeping for the rest of the day," the doctor said. "We administered a simple sedative, since he seemed to be agitated. He'll need all the rest he can get."

"Can the others come in, too?" Darry asked.

"Of course," the doctor smiled. "As long as they're being quiet and they let him sleep."

"Don't worry, doc, I'll make sure they do," Darry reassured, and I knew from the look on his face that anyone from our gang getting too loud was going to regret it.


	22. Mary's Secret

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter 22! I hope you enjoy it! There's a lot going on in this chapter so sorry if it gets a bit confusing, but please bear with me.**

**Hope you like the fast updates! I'm going back to school in two weeks and there's eight chapters left to write, and I wanna finish this story before school starts, so expect really fast updates until the end! Stay gold. PLEASE REVIEW AND LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER! XX**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

When I woke up, I was disoriented. I glanced around the room I was in, to find that it was empty. I had no idea where I was, or how long I had been out. It took me a few minutes to recognize the white walls and bright lights of a hospital room. I was lying in a hospital bed. I felt something tickle the inside of my nose and one of my hands raised to meet an oxygen tube. The tube passed underneath my nose, behind my ears and disappeared underneath the bed. I felt a sharp pain on my back and in my head. One of my wrists was wrapped in thick bandages.

Just as I was about to call the nurse's station using the button by my bed, a teenage boy walked into the room. I immediately recognized my brother, Jake. That's when everything came back to me. I was going to the movies with Ponyboy, there was a car crash, I had screamed and then everything went black. Ponyboy.

"Hey, Mary," Jake greeted, taking a seat next to me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I closed it. I gulped. If I was in the hospital, and Jake was here then that could only mean…

"Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma are with the doctor right now," Jake answered my question without me having to ask it. "They'll be in here in a few minutes."

"Do they know?" I asked, and he knew what I meant. He shrugged.

"Yes, they do," Jake answered. "They're not happy."

Taking a closer at Jake, I noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he had been crying.

"Jake…" I started. "What's wrong?"

Jake let out a small, sarcastic laugh.

"What's wrong? What's wrong, Mary? Look at you!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I got home and Aunt Gemma told me there had been an accident?"

I wasn't even the one responsible for this whole ordeal and he was making me feel like I was.

"What am I supposed to say, Jake?" I asked him, tears threatening to spill in my own eyes. "I'm sorry a car ran into Darry's truck? It's not my fault!"

I was crying by then and so was he. He grabbed my hand and gently brushed my hair back with his free one.

"I'm sorry, Mary," he said. "It's just, I thought you were gonna die. You're all I got left now…"

I pulled him into a hug despite my back and my ribs killing me.

"I'm fine, Jake," I reassured him. "I'm okay, now…"

He pulled away and after a few moments of silence, I asked him.

"How's Ponyboy?"

Jake was about to answer but I had asked my question as my uncle and my aunt were walking in and Uncle Frank answered for my brother.

"Ponyboy's fine, Mary Jane," he said. "He has minor injuries, just like you. He'll be released in the next few days. You, on the other hand, will be released tomorrow. The doctors want to keep you in observation since you have a minor concussion, but apart from that, your injuries are merely superficial."

I didn't say anything. Something in Jake's look told me Uncle Frank wasn't being completely honest with me.

"Uncle Frank-" I started.

"Be quiet," my uncle snapped. "You have some bruising on your ribs and on your back, a sprained wrist and a concussion. We're going to bring you home tomorrow morning, and we're going to take care of you ourselves. You will never see these filthy greasers again. I don't care if I have tie you by your wrists to your bed if it's necessary."

I was so angry I couldn't find anything to answer that would hurt him enough. He hadn't insulted greasers. He had insulted my friends. The only people who could understand me in this place. The only people I could be myself around.

"There's something else you should know, too, Mary Jane," Aunt Gemma said, and suddenly, all anger evaporated from my uncle's face. He sighed and sank into a chair.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We just talked to the doctor. When you guys first came in, he checked in your file, and well… he saw your medical history. They took you for scans and they took a blood sample, just as a precaution."

I gulped. My heart started beating faster. No. This wasn't happening. I refused to believe it. This could not be true.

"And?" I said, fighting tears. I knew from the look on their faces this wasn't good. Aunt Gemma sighed. Jake started crying.

"The leukaemia's back, Mary Jane."

XxX

_June 21, 1966_

*Pony's POV*

Three days had passed since the first time I woke up. I was more coherent than the first few times I woke up. I wasn't allowed out of bed, though. A bracelet on my wrist stated it. A nurse had come into my room last night and had given me a sponge bath. I would've been embarrassed, but I felt so disgusting that I was mostly grateful. I was covered with a sheet for the most part, so it wasn't too bad.

Last night also, my condition was declared stable by the doctor, which meant that I was no longer considered a "very sick" patient, so my brothers and the gang no longer had unlimited visiting hours. From ten in the morning to eight at night, I was never alone. By day, one of our gang stayed with me and my brothers joined me by night, after work. I understood that they had to pay the bills and all, but I still felt lonely, even with the gang here. It just wasn't the same. The worst part was at night. No one was here with me, the room was never quite dark, there was always some kind of light, and nurses had to wake me up every few hours because of my concussion. It had only been three days and I was starting to go nuts. Then, I remembered last night.

XxX

That night, around three o'clock, when the nurse came in to check on me, I was having a nightmare. She must've noticed my crisp features and my trashing around because she was at my side in a second.

"Ponyboy, wake up!" she said firmly, placing a hand on one of my shoulders.

I woke up screaming bloody murder. I was so panicked that I didn't remember where I was right away. I shot up, trashing against the hand on my shoulder, nearly ripping off one of my IV's in the process when an intense pain in my side paralyzed me. My scream was cut short and turned into a strangled whimper, tears streaming down my face. The pain made my stomach churn and I must've gagged, because seconds later I had a basin in my lap and I was emptying the contents of my stomach. I heard more footsteps coming in. The heart monitor in the background was going crazy. I felt someone rub my back, but all these people were foreign to me. I wanted my brothers. When I was done dry heaving, I felt someone take the basin from my hands and two firm hands pushing me back into my pillows. I moaned.

"Shh… Ponyboy, it's okay, you're okay," a nurse next to me said. "Take it easy, relax, deep breaths…"

I couldn't get myself to calm down, so she grabbed my face and forced me to look into her eyes.

"Ponyboy, breathe with me, okay?"

She inhaled and exhaled deeply and I struggled to follow her, the oxygen tube that replaced the oxygen mask a few days ago making it a bit more easier.

"The sedative is ready," a man voice said.

"He won't be needing one," the nurse who I was looking at answered.

"But-" the man protested.

"He's fine, Tim. He's a child who had a nightmare. He's gonna be fine. Now go back to the station, I've got him."

I heard footsteps leaving the room and soon, it was just me and the nurse. She released my face from her hand when she was sure I wouldn't look away and reached for a cup of liquid with a straw in it on the bedside table and held the straw to my mouth. I took a few grateful sips, washing away the taste of vomit from my mouth. She put the cup down and she moved her hand up to brush the hair that wasn't covered in bandages. She kept breathing deeply and eventually, my breathing evened out with hers and the heart monitor calmed down. I was still shaking pretty bad and tears were streaming down my face.

"That's it…" she encouraged. "You're fine, Ponyboy…"

"I want my brothers," I whimpered. I was aware of how much I sounded like a child, and how tough I must've looked to her, a greaser crying for his brothers, but I didn't care. I was too scared.

"You'll see them soon, Pony, but right now, you need to calm down, and you need to go back to sleep," she said gently but firmly.

She used her thumb to wipe my tears away from my cheeks, and even though she was a stranger, I still found the gesture comforting. She kept breathing with me until I stopped shaking and crying.

"Thats it…" she repeated. "Now, go back to sleep. I'll wake you back up in a few hours."

The simple thought of going back to sleep made me shiver.

"I can't," I said.

She looked at me, and all of a sudden, she seemed to have an idea.

"Would you like me to try something?" she asked. "I do that mostly with small kids, but it might work for you, too."

I nodded. She sat down in a chair and pulled herself closer so my face was within reach.

"Just relax," she said, smiling reassuringly.

She began brushing her fingers lightly over my forehead, my eyebrows, my nose. The touch was comforting, and I felt myself relaxing against my will. I had the reflex to close my eyes whenever she brushed my eyebrows. If I did shut them, I could almost imagine that it was my mother. She did this for a few more minutes and before I knew it, I was out like a light.

XxX

I had woken up around ten o'clock. That is, I was awoken by a nurse who came in to check my vitals and change the bandage on my head. A few minutes later, another nurse came in with my breakfast. I knew that someone from the gang would be here soon.

"Good morning, Ponyboy," the nurse said, adjusting my bed in a sitting position with a crank and setting up the table in front of me and the tray on it so I could eat.

"By the way, you have an early visitor," the nurse informed, and in walked a man I had never seen before. He looked to be in his fifties, and judging by his clothes, he was a Soc.

"Hello, Ponyboy," he said as the nurse walked out. "I'm Frank Sanders, Mary Jane's uncle."

I froze. We had spent our entire relationship hiding from that specific man, but I knew he was the one that could tell me how my girlfriend was doing.

"How's Mary?" I asked him.

He seemed exasperated by my question.

"Mary Jane's fine, she was released two days ago," he answered.

"Why are you here then, may I ask?" I asked him.

"I just had to come and speak with you on behalf of Mary Jane," Mr Sanders explained. I was confused.

"Why didn't she come herself?" I asked.

"She didn't have the heart to see you like this," Mr Sanders said. "She wants to break up with you, but she didn't want to come here herself. She wanted you to know that she's not going to take risks anymore and she doesn't want to live dangerous things anymore, and that the car crash was the final straw. She would also appreciate if you left her alone until… well, when she gets back to school."

I was so shocked, I didn't say anything. Something told me Mary would've came if she wanted to talk to me, but everything seemed to make perfect sense at the same time.

"I'm sorry, son," he said. He got up and left the room without a look back and without another word.

I had tears in my eyes when Johnny walked into the room, five minutes later.

"Pony, hey, take it easy man, what's wrong?" Johnny asked.

I just shook my head. There was nothing to say. She was gone.


	23. The Truth

**A/N: Greetings, fellow greasers! I hope you are all doing very well! Here's is chapter 23, and I have a feeling some of you will enjoy this one. ;)**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think about the story! :) Stay gold. x**

XxX

_July 4, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

The days were long. Uncle Frank hadn't been kidding. Ever since I was released from the hospital, almost two weeks ago, I was practically confined to my room. I had spent the first week in bed, letting the bruises and my concussion heal, but even now, I wasn't allowed to leave the house. Uncle Frank hadn't given me permission to ride nor to get out. He had told me it was because I needed to rest because of my illness, but I felt fine, so it didn't make any sense. I had nothing else to do around here, so I spent most of my time in my bedroom, reading or writing. I had tried to call the Curtises a few times, when my uncle and my aunt were out, but there had been no answer.

I was reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" in bed when Jake walked into my room, two muffins in hand.

"You hungry?" he asked, throwing a muffin at me. I grabbed it and took a bite.

"Thanks, Aunt Gemma made 'em?" I asked.

"Mhmm," he answered, his mouth full of muffin.

He sat down next to me on my bed.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

I showed him the book cover and he nodded.

"You still going out with Mason and Co. tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah… um… do you mind?" he asked.

"No, why would I?"

"I don't know, maybe you didn't wanna be alone tonight, that's all," he said, looking down at his knees.

"I'll be fine, it's just one night," I answered, smiling reassuringly at him.

Jake hadn't gone out with his friends since the accident and the diagnosis, staying home and keeping me company as much as he could. It had been two weeks, and I figured he deserved to go out, even if it was just for one night.

"Hey, Jake?" I asked suddenly.

"Mmh..?" he asked, his voice muffled by another piece of muffin.

"Do you think Ponyboy hates me?" I asked.

"Of course not," Jake answered, eyebrows furrowing in worry. "Why would he think that?"

"I don't know," I closed my book, exasperated. "I know it's stupid, but you know, he hasn't tried to call and he hasn't tried to visit me or anything."

Jake sighed. He looked at my open bedroom door, then back at me. He got up, walked to my door, closed it and came back to me.

"I couldn't tell you this because Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma were always roaming around, but they lied to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Ponyboy's injuries were far more serious than Uncle Frank pretended. He was on the side of the car that was hit, Mary. He had a fractured skull, a severe concussion, two broken ribs and a lot of severe bruises. He lost a lot of blood. They kept him for a week at the hospital."

"You gotta be kidding me?" I said, feeling my heart stop in my chest. "Is he alright, now?"

"He is, I'm pretty sure," Jake answered. "But that's not the worst part."

"What could be worst?" I asked, sinking into my pillows.

"Uncle Frank went to visit him a few days after you were released," Jake continued. "He didn't tell me anything, but I caught him and Aunt Gemma talking about it. Uncle Frank pretended you didn't wanna see him anymore and you wanted to break up with him."

I was shocked. Uncle Frank was an adult and was pulling something like that? I was enraged.

"Mary, I'm so sorry-"

"Jake? You said you were going out tonight, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, why? he asked.

"Could you deliver something for me?"

XxX

*Jake's POV*

"You can't be serious?" Mason complained behind the steering wheel of his Corvair.

"C'mon man, it'll take two minutes, I promise," I insisted, grasping onto the letter Mary had written.

"I can't believe we're actually going on the east side without intending to kick the shit out of someone," Mason groaned. "We're supposed to be picking up Carl and Billy, you know?"

"I know Mason, but look, this is really important to my sister, okay?" I said, not caring how I looked to him. "C'mon, Mason, be a pal. I'll go there, give him the letter and then we're off, okay?"

Mason sighed.

"Fine."

We drove over to the east side of town and the red Corvair pulled to a stop in front of a small, ragged house. I looked at the address Mary had given me. I wasn't mistaken. This was Ponyboy's house.

"I'll be right back," I said to Mason, slipping out of the car and slamming the door close behind me.

I jogged up the steps to the porch, hoping someone was there. No car was in sight, but I assumed Darry's car was getting repaired, and he must've been getting rides to work and all.

I knocked on the door. Inside the house, I could hear footsteps and men voices talking to each other. I heard the footsteps getting closer and the door opened, leaving me face to face with Sodapop, staring at me through the screen door.

"What do you want, Jake?" he snapped, looking pissed.

"I came to give this to Ponyboy, it's from Mary," I answered, showing him the letter.

"So she's still too lazy to come over here and face her problems herself, huh?" he said, his eyes filled with hate.

"I think incapable would be a better term for it," I snapped back, anger filling my voice. How dare he?

"Yeah, incapable of facing her problems, and sending her uncle to break my brother's heart while he was drugged, hurt and confused in the hospital, is that it?" he answered, his voice rising.

"Sodapop, please, he came to the wrong conclusion…" I started.

"The wrong what? The wrong conclusion, you say? Because "she wants to break up with you" is not clear enough for you guys is that it? You guys work in codes now?"

I had expected everything but this.

"Look, I understand your frustration, but this is really really important to her. Just please, please give him this, I'm begging you," I pleaded.

Sodapop sighed.

"Fine," he opened the screen door and I gave him the letter. "Just don't think this changes anything," he added.

"I know. Thank you so much," I said, backing up and heading back to the car where Mason was waiting for me.

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I was half-asleep in bed when Sodapop walked into our room. I was out of the hospital for almost a week now (Thank God!), but I was under strict bedrest, under Doctor and Darry's orders. My head was still sensitive, even though the stitches were out and everything, and my ribs were still hurting. The bruises were starting to fade, though. I was still on some pretty heavy pain medicine that made me really drowsy so I slept most of the time.

"Hey, Pony," Soda said softly. "How're you feeling?"

He sat next to the bed and began stroking my hair.

"I'm okay. Just tired," I answered sleepily.

"Do you need more pain medicine?" Soda offered.

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Okay," he said. "Just let me or Darry know if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded. I noticed he was holding a letter in his hands.

"What's that, Soda?" I asked, staring at the letter. It had my name on it.

"It's a letter for you," Soda answered, quite reluctantly. "It's from Mary. Jake came by to deliver it."

Hearing Mary's name was painful. The gang had seen me in the hospital when Mr Sanders had left. I was a mess that day. I didn't remember crying so much since Mom and Dad's funeral. I was unconsolable, and the drugs I was on at the time weren't helping either. I was still crying by the time visiting hours were over, and I knew it had killed my brothers to have to leave me that night. The night nurse, the one who had stayed with me when I had a nightmare, spent a long time in my room that night, doing everything she could to comfort me. She was the only nurse I had opened up to in the hospital and I was grateful for her company. By two in the morning, seeing I was still awake, she finally offered me a sedative and for once, I accepted. Ever since that day, the entire gang had avoided talking about her, for my own sake.

"Pony, you don't have to read it yet, if you don't want to," Soda started.

"It's fine," I said, grabbing the letter from his hands.

"I gotta go help Darry with dinner. I'll bring you a plate when it's ready, okay?"

With that, he left. He knew I needed some space to read this and I was grateful for him leaving me alone. I sat up in bed and proceeded to open the envelope, heart beating faster in my chest. I willed myself not to cry as I unfolded the letter and recognized Mary's neat handwriting.

_Ponyboy,_

_I asked my brother to give you this letter, not because I didn't wanna go to your house, but because I'm not allowed to leave mine. Uncle Frank's orders. I tried calling a few times to see how you were doing, but no one answered the phone._

I was confused. Why would she wanna call here?

_My brother told me about your injuries today. Uncle Frank told me you had minor injuries, but according to what Jake had to say, it's far more serious than I was told. I really hope you're well. I had a minor concussion, some bruising on my ribs and back and a sprained wrist, but it was nothing to worry about. I really hope you get better soon._

I was even more confused. Why would she care about me?

_Now, there are two things you should know, the most important being that I never broke up with you. Jake told me what my uncle told you, and that's just horrible. I can't believe he would go that far. I never asked him to go visit you, and I never wanted to break up with you. I didn't even know he went to see you until Jake told me._

_There's also something else you should know. It's something I've been keeping from you for far too long. I guess I was just scared of going back there, because it brought back bad memories, but I guess I don't really have a choice anymore…_

_After being with me for a while, you must've noticed how skinny I am. Well, I wasn't always like that. I used to have curves, to tell you the truth, but when I was twelve, I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I went in remission about a year before my parents died. I never bothered to tell anyone here, because I figured it wasn't important, but on the day of the accident, they took a blood sample as a precaution, and the results were positive._

_The leukaemia's back, but this time, it's not just in my blood. It's everywhere. There's nothing the doctors can do. My body won't be responding to treatment at this point. There's nothing to do but wait._

_I wanted to tell you this in person, but I had no idea when I'd get to see you again. My uncle and my aunt were leaving tonight for a horse competition in Oklahoma City, so I figured I could go to your house, but I was too scared of your reaction._

_I hope to talk to you soon,_

_Love,_

_Mary._

I dropped the letter on my chest, the paper slipping through my fingers. I couldn't feel anything. It was like I wasn't part of this world anymore. My heart was pounding. This was so much to take in. She still loved me, but she had leukaemia and she was dying. I tried to call for Soda or Darry, but what good would it do? They probably wouldn't believe her. My mind was racing. The only clear thought I could have was "I need to go see her".

I knew I was supposed to stay in bed, and if I tried, I knew Darry and even Soda would never let me out, but I had to see her.

I looked around. The door was closed. Sodapop and Darry were making a racket in the kitchen, so they wouldn't hear me. I had time.

I slowly sat up on the side of the bed before standing up. My legs were a little shaky, but they held up fine. Everything in me screamed "stupid" but I had to see her. I slipped into a pair of pants and a shirt that was lying on the floor and opened my bedroom window, trying to ignore my dizziness and the sharp pain in my side as I slipped through the window and crossed the backyard to meet a street hidden from my house's windows. The pain in my side and the dizziness gradually intensified, but I ignored it as I stumbled through the east side towards the west side of town.


	24. Lost & Found

**A/N: Hello guys! Hope you're well! This is chapter 24, six chapters away from the end of the story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm pretty sure this is the longest one yet! Please review and let me know what you think! - Stay gold.**

XxX

*Pony's POV*

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" I thought as I stumbled through the west side of town. The houses were bigger and fancier here. I knew from the street names that I was only a few blocks away from Mary's house.

I had been walking for an hour. The sky was getting dark, I could see the orange light casted by the sunset, hidden behind rooftops. My knees were getting weaker. I had been in bed for two weeks and this much exercise all of a sudden was really taking a toll on my body. My head and my ribs were throbbing so badly I could barely see or think, and I secretly regretted not staying in bed. If people were to see me through their windows right now, they would probably think I was mental or something by the way I limped lamely on the sidewalk in my bare feet.

I heard a car coming closer behind me and as I turned my head around, I spotted a red Corvair following me. The headlights were on so I couldn't tell who was in the car. I attempted to walk faster, but I couldn't do much. I was too weak. Their windows must've been down because I could hear their voices.

"Look, who's that stupid-looking guy?" snarled one of them.

"Must be a greaser," said another.

"What's he doing on our territory?" said the first one.

"Shall we go find out?" the second one asked.

The others laughed. I heard the car pull over behind me and I felt adrenaline rush through me. I heard car doors slamming and it was with a throbbing head and side and weak limbs that I took off running as fast as I could, which wasn't fast, to tell you the truth.

They caught up with me in a second. One of them grabbed my arms and pulled them back. That position put strain on my ribs and I let out a strangled cry, I felt my knees shake, nearly giving out.

"Wait!" said one of them. His voice sounded familiar.

The tall, broad Soc who had spoken stepped in front of me. The one holding my arms wouldn't let go and I really wished he did because my vision was slowly starting to go black at the edges from the pain. I only remembered then that at this time, I needed to take more pain medicine, which I didn't have with me. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Through my blurry vision, I could see that the man in front of me had black hair, green eyes and defined, symmetrical features. He looked like Mary.

"Jake?" I asked, and my voice sounded far away. There was a strange ringing in my ear.

"Ponyboy?" Jake said. "Let go of him!" he shouted at the Soc behind me, who immediately released me.

The pain in my side dulled considerably before my knees gave out under me in relief. I felt someone grab me before I hit the ground. Jake, probably.

"Pony, talk to me, buddy, what are you doing here?" Jake asked as I struggled for consciousness. Glory, did my head hurt.

"Mary…" was all I could mutter, spots clouding my vision.

"Shit!" Jake cursed and that was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

The sun was setting outside. I watched the sunset, sitting by my bedroom window, wishing I was sitting on the back steps of Ponyboy's house right now, watching that same sunset with him. We usually watched sunsets on Saturdays, and now it had been two Saturdays since I had seen him. Only then did I realize how much I was missing him.

I was wondering if he had read my letter, if he was okay, if he was sleeping, or if he was awake right now. I felt my throat get tight at the thought of him lying in a hospital bed, completely heartbroken. I felt a tear slide down my cheek before I could stop it.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into our driveway. I brushed it off, figuring it was Jake coming home from his night out with the boys, then I thought about it. It was still very early. Jake said he would probably be out late.

I heard banging on the door, but it didn't sound like a fist, but more like a foot. My heart started pounding. What if it was a thief?

I was still in my nightgown, so I slipped a robe on and slippers before quietly going down the stairs. More banging. As I got closer to the front door, I heard him.

"Mary! It's Jake, open the door please!"

I frowned in confusion. If it really was Jake, and there was no mistaking his voice, then why was he not just walking into the house?

I ran to the front door and opened it.

"Jake, what are you-" I started, but then I understood why he had knocked. Or should I say, banged his foot on the door.

Jake was on our doorstep, carrying in his arms an unconscious Ponyboy, both of them covered in sweat.

"Oh my God," was all I could mutter as I stepped out to let him in.

"Where should we put him?" asked Jake, his breathing strained from how heavy Ponyboy was.

"In my bedroom," I answered without hesitation. "Take him upstairs. Lay him down, I'll be up in a minute."

I heard Jake climb the stairs as I ran into the kitchen to grab a glass cup and a straw. I went upstairs only moments after Jake and when I walked into my room, my brother was settling Ponyboy on my bed. I went into my private bathroom and filled the cup with water from the tap. I opened a cabinet, reached for a washcloth and soaked the fabric in freezing water. I wrung the washcloth and brought both items back into the room.

I sat down next to Ponyboy on the bed and folded the washcloth before placing it gently on his forehead.

"Ponyboy?" I called, stroking his hair back gently. "Pony, can you hear me?"

Ponyboy stirred at the sound of my voice and let out a small whimper.

"Pony, it's Mary. It's Mary Jane. I'm here," I kept repeating, leaning in close to his ear, trying to get him to come around. "It's alright, baby."

"…M-Mary?" he finally muttered, eyebrows furrowed, turning his face towards the sound of my voice.

I kissed his cheek gently.

"Yeah, it's me. You're gonna be okay, Pony," I told him.

"…Hurts…" he mumbled.

"What hurts, Pony?" I asked, getting worried.

"Everything… Darry… Medicine…" he kept mumbling.

"Does Darry know you're out?" I asked him. He didn't answer.

"Pony, does Darry know you're out?" I repeated, more firm this time.

"No…" he answered, clearly getting delirious, his features crisp with pain.

"Jake, watch him, give him some of that water," I told Jake. "I'm gonna go call Darry."

With that, I ran down the stairs to the phone and called the Curtis house.

XxX

*Darry's POV*

We had been out for half an hour, looking for Pony. We figured he couldn't have gone far in his condition. We had tried the graveyard. Maybe he went to see our parents, we thought, but he wasn't there.

Soda and I had called the gang and they had contributed to the search, but it had been in vain. No one had found Ponyboy. We were all sitting in the living room, debating whether I should call the cops or not. I didn't want to, persuaded Soda and Pony would surely get taken away if I did. Our heated argument was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. I ran to answer. Maybe it was news about Ponyboy.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Darry? It's Mary," I heard Mary's voice on the other end of the line. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, Mary, Pony's not here. This isn't the right time to play heartbreaker," I snapped.

"I know," Mary answered.

"What do you know?" I asked, growing more and more exasperated.

"I know Pony's not at your house. He's here, Darry. Jake found him. I have no idea how he got here, but he's being delirious and saying something about medicine."

I looked at the clock. Eight o'clock. Pony would've been due for another dose of pain medicine an hour ago.

"He's been asking for you, just, please come," she said.

"We'll be right there, Mary," I answered. With that, I hung up the phone.

"What does she want?" Dally asked disdainfully.

"Pony's at her house," Darry said. "We have to go right now."

Without having to say another word, the whole gang stood up and everyone was out and into Two-Bit's car in a matter of seconds, right after I'd scooped up Ponyboy's prescription from the kitchen counter.

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I was at Ponyboy's side, stroking his hair and whispering sweet nothings in his ear when the doorbell rang twice, fifteen minutes after my phone conversation with Darry. I was about to get up to get it, but Jake put a hand on my shoulder.

"Leave it, I'll get it," Jake said, getting up and walking out of the room. "You stay with him."

I could hear Jake opening the door downstairs, showing the boys upstairs. I figured from the amount of footsteps I heard that the whole gang had come over. No wonder, I thought to myself. My bedroom door opened and in the doorway stood Darry, Sodapop, Jake and the rest of the gang were behind them. Darry looked absolutely enraged until he took a good look at Ponyboy and all anger vanished from his face.

"Oh God, Pony," Soda said.

I stood up and stepped out of their way as they came closer. They were at their brother's side in a second.

"Ponyboy, can you hear me?" Sodapop asked.

"Soda…?" Ponyboy called groggily, eyes cracking open.

"Yeah, it's me, Pony," Soda answered, stroking Pony's cheek tenderly.

"Soda, it hurts," Pony whimpered, and I could hear the pain and panic in his voice.

"I know it does, Pony. We got your pain medicine. We're gonna make you better, okay? It's over now," Sodapop reassured him.

Darry produced a bottle of pill and popped two pills into his palm.

"Here, Pony, take these," he said.

Pony opened his mouth and Darry slipped the pills into his mouth, giving him some water from the glass so he could swallow them. They kept stroking Ponyboy's hair, whispering comforting words in his ear and mere minutes later, Ponyboy seemed to relax. His breathing evened out, his expression looked more peaceful. He was no longer in pain. I knew from where I was standing in the room that he was asleep.

"You guys can spend the night here, if you want," I offered. "My uncle and my aunt won't be home for at least two days."

"Where would we sleep?" Sodapop asked. I could tell from his tone and from the way he looked at me that he was mad at me. In fact, all of them looked at me the same way. Like I was a vile creature. They hadn't read the letter.

"We can set up a mattress on the floor and at least three of you can fit on my bed. I can sleep with my brother."

"Why would we wanna stay here?" Darry snapped angrily.

"Hey, don't talk to my sister that way," Jake suddenly said, anger in his voice.

"It's alright, Jake," I said. I sighed. "You didn't read the letter I wrote for Pony, did you?"

Darry shook his head. I walked over to the bed and sat down on it, next to where Ponyboy lay asleep. I took a deep breath. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

I told them everything. From my uncle lying to me about Ponyboy's injuries, to him pretending I was breaking up with Pony, finishing with my diagnosis. A heavy silence followed.

"So that's it?" Soda finally said. "All you have left to do is wait?"

"You could say that," I answered. "Look, this isn't the concern right now. I'm fine for the time being. I understand you guys would rather be home, but Ponyboy is in no state of being transported. Just let him sleep. I'll set up a mattress in the living room downstairs and Darry and Soda can sleep with Ponyboy. I'll sleep with Jake in his room."

"I guess that settles it," Darry said.

"Sorry, Darry, but I work in the morning," Steve answered. "I can't exactly stay tonight."

"I'd better go back home, too, now that Pony's fine," Two-Bit answered. "Me, Steve, Dally and Johnny can go, and you guys can stay here and give us news tomorrow, how does that sound? I'll pick you guys up in the morning."

"Alright," Darry said. "I'll call you when we're ready. You'll be home?"

"Yeah, my little sister needs looking after," Two-Bit said. "See you guys later."

Two-Bit, Dally, Steve and Johnny walked out of the room and headed back downstairs and moments later, I heard the front door open and close and a car pulling out of the driveway.

XxX

Sodapop wanted to know how Ponyboy was found, but he didn't want to disturb Pony, so Jake and him walked out of the room and went downstairs to grab a snack at the same time. I smiled to myself. I was good to see my brother finally bonding with my friends. There was a moment of slightly awkward silence between me and Darry.

"Did he ask for me or for Soda?" he suddenly asked, looking at his brother, who was peacefully asleep.

"He asked for you, why do you ask that?" I asked, suddenly perplexed. I could tell by Darry's face that he was relieved by my answer.

"I don't know, it's just that… You know what? Forget it," he shrugged.

"No, Darry, tell me. You know you can trust me," I coaxed.

Darry sighed, he stroked his brother's hair back gently as he spoke.

"It's just that, when I took custody of my brothers… well, I had to become the authority figure, you know? I had to replace Mom _and _Dad, and everything was a lot harder than I thought it would be. My parents made it look so easy, like they had everything under control, but being in their place was a total different story. Suddenly I had to get a job and pay bills and gas. I had two growing boys counting on me to bring food on the table. I had to learn how to clean, do laundry, iron, everything. Everything my parents used to do, I had to learn how to do it by myself. And sometimes, it all just gets a bit too much, you know?"

I nodded. I could understand how hard it had been for him. The words seemed to be pouring out of his mouth like he had kept them bottled up inside for very long. He probably had, I though.

"In the first month after our parents died, there was so much to do in so little time. I had to plan funerals. I had to make sure the state wouldn't take my brothers away from me. I almost lost them. They wanted to take Soda and Pony to a boy's home. Money was running so low that we almost lost the house. Ponyboy started to get really bad nightmares. I was desperate."

He shuddered at the thought of the past, the memories hard for him to handle.

"Things settled down after a month or so. But still to this day, I lose my temper sometimes. I feel like I have to be authority figure, so I yell more than I used to. I don't always mean to, but sometimes it just slips out, and I don't know why, but Ponyboy seems to always be the one I scream at. I just feel like he's drifting away from me because of that and there's nothing I can do about it. I feel like I'm failing at everything and…"

He couldn't go on. His eyes were filled with tears.

"Look at me," I ordered. He looked up from his brother. I saw a tear slip out of his eye and him wipe it away hurriedly. I had to admit myself a little surprised. I always knew that Superman had feelings deep down. He just never showed them to me until now.

"When I look at you, all I see is a very, very brave young man, who's doing everything he can to keep his family together. To be strong for his two brothers. To me, you're doing a fabulous job at it. A lesser man than you would've crumbled under that pressure, and you didn't. That is something you should be proud of."

Darry smiled at me. I knew I had said the right thing.

"Thank you," he said, his voice coated with emotions. He immediately went back to caring for Ponyboy. I knew he had made a promise to his parents, and as I watched him act so gently towards Pony, I couldn't help but think that he was keeping his promise wonderfully.


	25. Mickey Mouse

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you're doing well. Here's chapter 25! Hope you enjoy it! **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :D Stay gold.**

XxX

_July 5, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

I woke up the next morning earlier than usual. I looked at Jake's alarm clock. Six o'clock. I could see from the corner of my eye that Jake was still fast asleep. I decided I should go check on the Curtises to make sure they're awake. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Jake, put on my robe and my slippers and tip-toed out of the room. The soft light of dawn peeking through the windows provided me with just enough light to see where I was going. There was a crack in my bedroom door, so I peeked through it and saw Darry, huddled next to Ponyboy, both of them sleeping peacefully.

Soda wasn't there.

I walked into the bedroom, careful not to wake the two greasers as I tiptoed to my dresser and picked up riding pants and a shirt. I slipped back out of the bedroom and changed into the hallway bathroom, not wanting to risk waking up Darry and Ponyboy by changing in my own bathroom. I left my nightgown and slippers on the bathroom floor, promised myself to pick them up and headed downstairs, looking for Sodapop.

I found him sat at the kitchen table, looking at his hands, seemingly deep in thoughts.

"You're up early," I commented, walking into the room. He jumped and turned around.

"Look who's talking," he said. "Are you the only one awake?"

I nodded.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, making my way towards the kitchen.

"A bit, yeah," he answered.

"Do you want a muffin? My aunt made 'em," I called from the kitchen.

"Sure," he said. I grabbed two muffins and tossed one at him, which he caught.

"Thanks," he said before taking a bite.

I sat down in front of him at the table.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you're up so early?" I asked him.

"Darry snores too loudly. I couldn't sleep," he shrugged.

"Darry doesn't snore," I pointed out.

He sighed, looking down at the table.

"What's wrong, Sodapop?" I asked, putting a hand on his arm in an attempt to catch his attention.

"Sorry, it's just… so much to take in, you know? I hate to see Ponyboy like that, and you're… you know… dying…" he cleared his throat roughly, the way boys do when they're about to cry.

I felt my heart breaking. Sodapop never cried. He seemed to always be this happy-go-lucky person.

"Can I show you something?" I asked him in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Um… Sure…" Soda answered, kind of reluctantly.

"Let's go to the stables," I said, getting up.

Soda's entire face lit up at the mention of the stables. He had told me once how much he loved horses, and how he had torn a ligament and his father had forced him to stop. I was grateful for my memory of the event at this moment. I stopped at the front door to slip my riding boots on and we both walked out through the front door and started down the path that led to the stables, a little further away from the house.

"Most of our horses are in Oklahoma City for the competition, but Jake's horse and my horse are still here," I told him as we walked in.

"Theres Zayn, he's my horse," I pointed towards Zayn's stall. "And that's Jake's horse, Mickey Mouse."

Sodapop suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"Mickey Mouse?" he asked.

"Yeah, well, that wasn't his name originally, but turns out it's the only name he answers to, so Mickey Mouse it is," I explained.

Sodapop walked right past me towards the horse's stall.

"Oh my God," he said, walking right up to the door. "Mickey Mouse? Is that you?"

Mickey Mouse was facing away from the stall door, but he immediately turned around at the sound of Sodapop's voice. I had never seen that horse so excited to see someone. Usually, he wasn't approachable, but to my surprise, he walked up straight to the door, poking his head through the opening.

"Hey, buddy, how've you been?" Soda said, his voice heavy with emotions as he stroke the horse's neck. Mickey Mouse leaned over and nibbled Soda's shoulder affectionately.

"He seems to like you. Do you know him?" I asked.

Soda could only nod, too moved to say anything.

"You wanna go for a ride?" I offered.

He looked at me in disbelief.

"Really?" he asked, getting excited.

"Yeah, sure. I'll take Zayn and you can take Mickey Mouse," I answered.

"It's been so long since I've been on a horse… Almost a year and a half now..." he laughed nervously.

"You'll be fine," I reassured him.

He looked at me, a smile creeping onto his face, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Okay," he finally said.

XxX

"So tell me, how do you know that guy?" I asked him, nodding towards Mickey Mouse.

The sun was getting higher and higher in the sky. We were riding across the field behind the house, both of us on horseback.

"Well, I was thirteen and I was working at a barn, since I loved horses so much," he explained. " Mickey Mouse was there, and for some reason, he wouldn't listen to anyone but me. I was the one who called him Mickey Mouse, actually. He was mean and stubborn with everyone but he was really nice with me. Then, one day, I went to the barn and they had sold him. I never saw him again until today. I never thought I would."

I told Soda about the trouble Jake had with Mickey Mouse at first which made him laugh.

"That sounds like him," he said, patting the horse's neck with a fond look on his face. We walked around talking for a while longer before we raced back to the stables (He won) and unsaddled the horses, Sodapop saying goodbye to Mickey Mouse before heading back into the house to check on the others.

XxX

When we walked in, no one was downstairs. The clock on the wall read seven. It was still pretty early. We both went upstairs and peeked into my bedroom door to find that Pony and Darry were both awake. Darry was sitting on the side of the bed, and Ponyboy was sat up, drinking water from the glass cup. They both looked up when they heard us walk in and Ponyboy smiled at me.

"Hey," I greeted, smiling back at him.

"Hey," he greeted back. He still looked tired, but he looked much better than he did last night.

"Where've you guys been?" asked Darry as we both sat on the bed.

"We went riding," Sodapop answered simply.

Darry nodded.

"We should probably call Two-Bit, now," he said, taking the empty cup from Pony's hands. I expected Pony to lie back down, but he stayed sat up.

"I'll go with you," Soda said. He had no reason to, but I knew from the look he gave me he just wanted me and Pony to be alone. I pretended to be annoyed, but I was secretly grateful.

"We'll be right back, then," Darry said, getting up from the bed. He had definitely caught on with what Sodapop was doing.

When they both had left the room, I took one good look at my boyfriend. He didn't seem to have any apparent bruises, except for a few ones on his arms that were starting to fade. I knew the biggest damage could not be seen. His head and his ribs.

"Mary, I'm so sorry…" he started.

"No, I'm sorry," I interrupted. "I'm sorry on behalf of my uncle, and I'm sorry for everything he's put you through. All I'm asking you right now is for one thing."

He looked at me, waiting for me to go on.

"No matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, I want you to be in my life until the very end," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. It was the first time I'd been emotional about my illness since the moment I found out in the hospital. "And when the time is right, I want you to let me go, and I want you to carry on with your life, do you understand me?" I was crying by then. "You have so much potential to become someone wonderful, and don't you ever forget it, is that clear?"

We were both crying when he pulled me into a hug. I had no idea if hugging was painful for him or not, but he didn't make it show if it did. We hugged for what seemed like hours and he kissed the top of my head before he whispered into my ear:

"I promise."


	26. One Month

**A/N: Hi guys! Hope you're well! Sorry it took a few days to post this, I was out of town helping my brother move into his apartment for college! Hope you like this chapter! Stay gold.**

**Please review letting me know what you think, and thank you to everyone who already does! They really motivate me to keep writing! 3**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

Darry and Sodapop came back about ten minutes later. Jake had woken up by then and walked into my room, already dressed in pants and a shirt. We chatted until Two-Bit arrived, twenty minutes later, and then it was time for the Curtises to leave.

Soda went to help Ponyboy stand up, but Ponyboy brushed him off, saying he was fine. He stood up and walked by himself, slightly shaky at first, and then more confidently.

"I'll call you as soon as I can," he said as they reached the front door.

"Thank you," I answered.

"Well, thanks for letting us stay overnight, Mary," Darry said.

"Don't worry about it," I smiled.

"We'll see you soon, hopefully," Sodapop added.

"We can hope," I sighed, thinking about my uncle.

They said their goodbyes, opened the door and left. As soon as the door closed behind them, I felt it. A feeling I despised with a passion, but knew all too well.

My heart sank in my stomach. My stomach churned. There was a strange ringing in my ears and I suddenly felt detached from the world around me.

"Mary?" called my brother, but his voice sounded as far away as I felt.

"Jake…" I answered, clutching at his arm.

White spots clouded my vision as the ringing in my ears intensified. I couldn't see anything. I heard a deep voice mumble something, but I didn't catch on to what it was saying. I felt the world spin around me, my back hitting something hard and my vision sinking into darkness.

XxX

I woke up in the hospital. I knew it from the moment I came around. The bed underneath me, the strange sounds, the bright lights and white walls and finally, Jake, sitting on one side of the bed and my uncle and my aunt sitting on another. I assumed Jake called them and they came back from the horse competition early. An IV was attached to my forearm and an oxygen tube made it's way across my face and underneath my nose.

"I passed out, didn't I?" I asked. It had happened before, the first time I got sick. This was no surprise.

"Yeah, you did," Jake answered. "I called an ambulance and they came home to pick you up.

"Did you let _him_ know?" I asked, looking directly at Jake, hoping he would catch on.

"Yeah, I called him from the phone booth when you came in," he answered.

"Who's "him"?" asked Uncle Frank "You're not seeing Ponyboy again, are you?"

I glared at him. I wanted to tell him that I was, and that I hated him for doing what he did to my boyfriend and that he had no right to keep me away from him, but the small glimmer of hope that I might be able to keep seeing Pony again prevented me from saying anything.

"Of course not, Uncle Frank," Jake answered. "It's Mason she's talking about. I promised him we'd hang out this afternoon, but with what happened, I had to call him to let him know I couldn't go."

Wow. That was quick thinking. I gave a very subtle grateful look to Jake and he simply shrugged.

"Very well," Uncle Frank said. "The doctor said to let him know when you were awake. I'll go get him."

He got up and left the room without any other ceremony. He came back only minutes later with a tall man who seemed to be in his thirties.

"Hello, Mary Jane. I'm Doctor Olsen," the doctor greeted as he walked in. "Mr Sanders, would all of you mind walking out of the room while I run a few tests, please?"

"Can Jake stay?" I asked spontaneously. I knew what he meant by "a few tests". I didn't want to be alone, and Jake was the only one I wanted out of the three.

"Sure, if he doesn't mind," the doctor answered.

Jake shook his head and walked around the bed to sit where Aunt Gemma sat as my uncle and my aunt walked out of the room. The doctor moved Jake's chair out of the way so he could stand right next to me.

"Now, Mary, we're gonna start by doing a simple blood sample. Could you extend your arm for me please?" he asked as he prepared the equipment.

I did as I was told. This wasn't the bad part. Jake reached for my hand and I squeezed back, grateful for his support. The doctor made me ball my hand into a fist so he could find a vein and then pierced the skin inside my elbow with a needle. It only lasted a few seconds and it didn't hurt very much.

He pulled the needle out and started preparing other equipment.

"Now, Mary Jane," Doctor Olsen said. "To verify how fast the cancer is spreading, I need to do a lumbar puncture. I assume from your medical history that you know how that's done?"

I nodded. I wanted to cry. Of all the treatments I had to go through to fight cancer the first time along, this was by far the worst.

"Okay, so I'm going to ask you to roll onto your side with your legs bending forward, your back rounded, facing away from me, and lift up your shirt."

I complied reluctantly. Jake could probably see the fear written all over my features because he brushed his thumb over my knuckles and brushed a few strands of my hair in an attempt to soothe me, but nothing could. I felt my heart beat faster.

The doctor injected a local anesthetic into my back, which numbed most of the area, but it didn't numb enough to prevent the sharp pain when the spinal needle entered my spine.

I felt my breath catch up in my throat.

"Try to take deep breaths and relax as much as possible," the doctor instructed.

I struggled to deepen my breathing, the pain coursing through my entire body. I clutched to my brother's hand so tight my knuckles were turning white. I just wanted it to stop. The minutes seemed to drag on. My entire face was crisp with pain.

After ten minutes, which seemed more like an hour, I felt the needle being pulled out and the pain immediately dulled. I felt the relief wash over me as I loosened my grip on my brother's hand and my muscles relaxed.

"You did very well, Mary Jane," Doctor Olsen complimented. "I'll send these to the lab and we should have the results later this afternoon. Just take it easy, and try to get some rest, alright?"

"Thanks, doc," Jake answered for me. I was grateful once more to have him around. I felt unfit for me to thank the doctor after the torture he just inflicted on me.

Doctor Olsen left the room and in walked Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's eleven," Aunt Gemma answered. "Your uncle and I have to leave for the afternoon, since the vans with the horses and the equipment are supposed to arrive at the ranch and we need to help them unload everything. Are you and Jake gonna be okay here? We'll be back for the test results."

"Yeah, we'll be fine," I said.

"Here," Uncle Frank handed Jake a few dollars. "You can buy something from the cafeteria if you want to."

With that, they left the room. They had barely made it out of the room when I turned towards Jake.

"Can you do something for me?"

XxX

"Hello, pretty woman!" greeted Two-Bit as he walked into the hospital room.

"Hey, Mary!" the others greeted in a more traditional way. Count on Two-Bit to be the original one.

I had convinced Jake to call at the Curtis house to get the gang to come over this afternoon, since Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma won't be back until later. Only twenty minutes after Jake's phone call, the entire gang had erupted into the room. I was sat up in my bed and Ponyboy climbed on the bed next to me. Jake, Sodapop and Two-Bit took chairs and Steve, Dally, Johnny and Darry stayed up, leaning against the wall. I was really happy to have them around, after at least two weeks of not seeing them at all.

"I missed you guys," I said honestly, smiling at them.

"Aaaww… We missed you too, darling!" Two-Bit said, grinning from ear to ear.

"So… how are things with the Socs?" I asked, not daring to look at Jake to see his reaction.

"Well, no one in the gang's been jumped since Steve did, which is good, although Ponyboy nearly got it in with them yesterday," Soda answered. "Curly and another guy from Shepard's gang had to hold back a bunch of Socs with switchblades a few days ago, but that's about it."

I nodded. I'd gotten used to checking in with their situation with the west side people, since they talked about it pretty often. It felt good to have them around, as if things were back to normal again.

"So, when are you getting out of here?" Pony asked.

"We should have the results later this afternoon, I don't know when the doctor will let me leave," I answered. "I'm guessing sometime tonight, if everything goes well."

"And… what are you gonna do then?" Soda asked.

"Continue on as usual, until… you know… I can't…" I answered, looking down at the mattress.

"What will you do then?" Soda added.

"For now, I'm fine, and that's all that matters," I said firmly, more for myself than for the others.

No one added anything on the subject. Everyone seemed to want to forget that this was happening.

We chatted about random things. Two-Bit mentioned seeing a new blonde, Dally mentioned a fight he got in with a Mexican immigrant at the drive-in, Sodapop talked about Sandy, a girl he's been dating for a while now, Darry mentioned a raise at his job and Steve told everyone about a big barn dance coming up that we should go to, since a lot of greasers were gonna be there. Jake and Johnny were quiet, listening to what everybody were saying. For Johnny, it was the usual, but Jake usually always had something to say. I figured he was just intimidated by the boys. As for Ponyboy, well, he was apparently content with sitting close to me, holding my hand and rubbing circles on the top of it with his thumb, occasionally stealing a kiss when most of the gang wasn't looking. As the rest of the group launched into a heated discussion about other street gangs in Tulsa I had never heard of, I decided to talk to Pony.

"So, how've you been since the accident?" I asked. "You scared me something awful last night, that's for sure."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Pony smiled lightly. "My skull and my ribs don't really hurt too much anymore, since they're in place and all, but they'll take time to get back to normal. I don't have a concussion anymore. I was on some pretty heavy pain medicine, but I'm slowly getting off of it. I was ordered on bedrest for two weeks, and I'm allowed out now, as long as I take it easy for a while."

"Why did Jake find you on the west side? What were you doing there?" I asked.

"I read your letter and I wanted to go see you, but I knew Darry would never allow it, so I kind of… slipped out of a window?" he answered, smiling.

"You are _such_ a rebel," I laughed.

Of course, this was all too good to last, because two hours later, the gang had to leave, by fear of my uncle and my aunt coming back to the hospital to find a bunch of greasers chilling in their niece's bedroom. Their facial reactions would've probably been hilarious, but for the sake of my love and my friendships, I decided not to try the experience.

"I'll call you tomorrow?" Ponyboy offered.

"Sure, I should be home by then," I assured him. He stole one last kiss before getting off the bed. His legs looked more solid than they did this morning. The gang left after saying goodbye and only fifteen minutes later, my uncle and my aunt walked into the room. They never knew anything.

"Has the doctor come, yet?" asked Uncle Frank.

"Nope," Jake answered. "He should be here any second."

Just as he was finishing his sentence, Doctor Olsen walked in, a serious look on his face.

"Hello, Mary Jane," Doctor Olsen greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," I answered.

"Well, you'll be able to leave the hospital tonight, in case you were wondering. There'll be no need to keep her overnight."

"What are the results, Doctor?" asked Uncle Frank.

"Well," Doctor Olsen shrugged. Oh God. This couldn't be good. "There's no easy way to say this. The cancer has spread since the last time you were here, and at an impressive speed at that."

"What does that mean?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.

"It means the cancer is now out of control," Doctor Olsen answered.

I gulped, swallowing back the lump in my throat.

"How long do I have?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"According to the test results, I should say you have about a month or so to live, maybe even less."

The statement was followed by a heavy silence. I knew I didn't have much time left, but I had imagined five or six months, but one month?

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said gravely.


	27. The Approval

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you are well! Here's chapter 27, I hope you enjoy! I have to say that after this one, there are only three chapters left to this story!**

**Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews really make my day! Stay gold. x**

XxX

*Mary's POV*

I was released almost immediately after the doctor had delivered the news of my imminent death. The car ride home was silent. I guess everyone waited until I said something, but I didn't. I didn't have anything to say. It's not like there was anything to say.

I didn't cry.

When we got home, we had dinner together in the dining room and for the first time, Uncle Frank and Aunt Gemma made no comments about the way we were dressed or our table manners. I didn't eat much. I felt like there was a huge lump of dough in my stomach preventing me from speaking. After a good ten minutes of me picking at my food, Aunt Gemma suggested I went to bed and I didn't object. I carried my barely empty plate in the kitchen and went upstairs.

I walked into my room and closed the door behind me. I leaned against the door and sank to the floor, my knees giving out under me. I put my head between my hands, re-living the events of the day, feeling all kinds of mixed emotions. Disbelief, fear, sadness, guilt, anger.

I didn't cry.

After I was sure I could handle it, I stood up. I walked into my bathroom and took a shower almost mechanically, avoiding my reflection in the mirror. I got dressed into my nightgown and got into bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I could see the room getting darker and darker. I could feel the time passing by, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything except thinking. Thinking about my parents. Wishing they were here. Thinking about my brother, who I'll be leaving behind. Thinking about Ponyboy, my love, now bound to have his heart broken.

XxX

I couldn't sleep. The sky had been dark for a while now. I guess everyone thought I needed some time because no one came to talk to me. No one tried. I sat up in bed an looked at my alarm. One in the morning. I felt it. I needed to speak. I needed to let things out, and right now. I stepped out of bed and tiptoed out of my room, across the hallway and into Jake's room, careful not to wake my aunt and uncle.

"Jake?" I whispered, walking closer to his bed.

No response. Jake was dead to the world.

"Jake," I called, a bit louder this time.

Jake stirred. He inhaled loudly, stretching at the same time, and opened his eyes.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he answered back.

I hesitated.

"Can I sleep here?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered, pulling the sheets on the unoccupied side of the bed so I could slide in. I lied down in bed next to him as he tucked me in with the blankets.

We were both quiet for a very long time. I knew Jake was awake though. I could just tell by his presence.

"Tell me this is a nightmare," I finally said.

"I guess there's no point in asking how you're feeling, then," he answered

I snorted.

"I guess there's no point in saying I feel like shit either," I answered. "You know, maybe this really is a nightmare. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. Maybe I'll even marry Ponyboy. Maybe I won't feel the need to be angry at God for claiming my life so soon, maybe I won't be leaving you behind without your entire family."

Jake wrapped an arm around me and hugged the life out of me. I hugged back.

"Don't you worry about me, Mary," he said firmly.

"I'm so scared…" I finally said, feeling my resolve, my strength breaking.

"Shhhh… You're gonna be fine," was all Jake had to say. He didn't need to add more. I felt it in his embrace. All the love, all the support, all the nostalgia from better days.

I couldn't help it. I cried.

XxX

_July 6, 1966_

I had no idea when I had fallen asleep, I just knew that I woke up the next day in Jake's bed, my brother's strong arm still wrapped protectively around me, though his eyes were open.

"Fancy seeing you awake," my brother said.

I stretched and yawned loudly.

"What time is it?" I asked tiredly.

"It's almost ten," Jake answered. "I was waiting until you woke up to get out of bed, but I'm starting to get really hungry and my patience may or may not be wearing off so now that you're awake, may I walk you to the dining room for breakfast, ma'am?"

I laughed lightly as he got out of bed and offered me a hand.

"With pleasure," I answered, playing along with his game. I gladly took his hand as he pulled me out of bed. We both went downstairs and as we were headed into the kitchen, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," I said.

Jake nodded. It was probably for Uncle Frank, but he didn't seem to be answering from his office.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Mary?" Ponyboy's voice said at the end of the line.

"Hi, Pony," I answered, smiling.

"Hi," he called back. "Glad to know you're out of the hospital."

"Believe me, so am I," I answered, leaning against the wall.

"Hey, I was wondering if you had anything planned for Saturday? There's a big party in a barn just out of town. Soda's taking Sandy, Steve's taking Evie, Two-Bit's taking who-knows-who and Dally's taking Sylvia, so I was wondering if you might wanna go with me?" he said all of this really quickly, as if he was nervous. "Don't feel like you have to, though, if you don't feel up to it."

"I'd love to go, don't get me wrong," I started. "Except I want to do things right this time."

"What do you mean?" Ponyboy asked.

"I'll ask my uncle. I'm done with hiding."

XxX

My uncle's office door was closed. I had eaten, dressed and combed my hair. Anything to get on his good side. I wasn't going to hide anymore. I had a month left, and it wasn't going to be spent in dishonesty. I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to knock on the door.

"Come in," I heard his voice say.

I pushed the door open and walked through the doorway. Uncle Frank was sitting at his mahogany desk, filling paperwork, wearing reading glasses that made him look ten years older than he actually was. He looked up when he heard me enter.

"Oh, hello, Mary Jane," he said, smiling at me. "What can I do for you?"

I took another deep breath. This wasn't the time to get myself worked up.

"Do you have a moment?" I asked him "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Why, of course, sit down," he said, taking off his spectacles. I had no idea why he was suddenly so kind towards me. I suspected pity or guilt, but I didn't mention it as I sat down in the leather chair in front of his desk.

"This might take a while, are you sure you're not busy?" I asked.

"All these papers can wait, Mary Jane," he assured me.

"Alright, then," I said.

I told him everything from the beginning. The whole story, without avoiding any details. How I felt coming here for the first time, meeting Bob, being scared of greasers. How I bumped into the greasers on my first day of school and met Ponyboy in my Science class. How I had seen Bob jump Johnny and that was the reason I had I dumped him. How I hated having to do a project with a greaser, and how I had sneaked out of the house to finish the project at his place, and how I had discovered about his parents being dead. I also told him how he had comforted me when I, out of ideas, had ran to him at his house when I felt like my world was falling apart. How I had fallen asleep to wake up to a house full of greasers. How I had became their friend. How everyone lived, how they were caring for me and protecting me and looking out after me, how everyone of them was in reality so kind-hearted. How much I loved every single one of them with all my heart. How I loved Ponyboy most dearly and I also told him about all the dates we went on. I told him what really happened at the car crash. I told him I knew he had visited Ponyboy in the hospital, how I had found out and how we re-established contact. How the greasers visited me in the hospital yesterday when he and Aunt Gemma were gone. I showed him the real side of greasers. The side he, as an outsider, was missing out on.

I finished my story, my voice hoarse from having spoken so much. Uncle Frank didn't say anything for a very, very long time. He was sitting across from me, just looking at me. He seemed conflicted between admitting his faults and apologizing or denying everything all the more.

"Ponyboy called me this morning," I added. "He's asking me out to a dance, and all I'm asking you is for your permission to go with him, and also for you to let him be in my life until the day I die."

Uncle Frank settled his elbows on the table. He was quiet for a few minutes until he spoke again.

"I do disagree with some of the choices you made. I am not happy that you disobeyed our rules."

I opened my mouth to protest but he raised his hand to shut me up.

"I do, however, admit to my wrong doings. I also am able to see that the greasers may not be as bad as I thought they were, but you need to understand that they don't have a bad reputation for nothing. Some of the people on the east side are really dangerous people you don't wanna be hanging out with."

I nodded. This was the more open-minded I'd ever seen Uncle Frank be. He was right, I had to admit. I had heard the gang talk about other street gangs, other greasers in Tulsa that even they didn't hang around with.

"It would be wrong of me to prevent you from seeing these boys anymore. Not in the current circumstances. I do have to say that I'm grateful for the way they've been looking after you. I will also allow you to go to that dance on Saturday _if_ your health permits it. I will make myself very, very clear when I say that no matter what, your health will always come first."

I was in disbelief. My uncle was allowing me to see greasers. I wasn't gonna have to hide anymore. I was gonna go to the dance. My face grew into a huge smile as I ran around the table and hugged Uncle Frank. He chuckled and hugged me back before pushing me away slightly.

"Now, go on, why don't you call that boy back and tell him you're going? I got work to do now, if you'll excuse me."

I nodded and ran out of the room, feeling truly happy for the first time since the car crash.


	28. I Love You

**A/N: Hello my loves! Hope you're doing well! Here's chapter 28, I really hope you enjoy it, and I hope this chapter doesn't traumatize you too much, because something's definitely coming your way! ;) Enjoy! Please leave a review! You guys know how much I love these! ;) Stay gold.**

XxX

_July 10, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

I called Ponyboy everyday leading to Saturday. I called him back after I had the conversation with my uncle to tell him everything. We called each other everyday after that, not having to be discreet about our conversations anymore. We'd talk for hours (or at least until I heard Darry screaming in the background that he won't be able to pay the phone bill if we keep doing this). One day, when I called, Sandy was at the Curtis house with Sodapop and I got her on the line to ask her if I should be wearing a fancy or a casual dress, since Ponyboy was not the most qualified for women's fashion advice. She said to wear not my most casual one, but not my fanciest dress either.

"Who cares… It's just a dress…" I could hear Sodapop mumbling in the background.

"Hey, this is important stuff, will you shut up?" Sandy snapped at him playfully and we both laughed. I liked Sandy. I had met her a few times before and she was super sweet, a perfect match for Sodapop.

The day finally came. Saturday. Everything went fine. I didn't pass out, nor did I feel weak or sick at all. In fact, it was hard to believe the doctor, since I was feeling pretty much normal.

It was a quarter to seven. Ponyboy said him, Sodapop and Sandy would be picking me up at seven o'clock. Apparently, Two-Bit, Steve and Dally were taking different cars to get there. I had decided on a white swing dress with little silver details along the hem and silver heels. I had done my hair and my makeup, and I was looking at my reflection in the mirror when Aunt Gemma walked into my room. She was holding a dark blue box in her hands. She took one look at me and froze on the spot. Her face seemed to soften.

"You look so much like your mother when she was your age," she said, smiling at me.

Aunt Gemma was my mother's sister. She walked closer to me and stood behind me in front of the mirror.

"Do you ever miss her?" I asked, looking at her from the mirror. "She was your sister after all."

"There's not one day that goes by without me thinking of her," she answered. "We were best friends. Just like you and Jake are."

I turned around to look at her.

"Be honest with me," I said. "Is this too much? I mean, I was hesitating between my blue dress and this one, but the blue dress is a bit more casual. Maybe I should just stick to casual…"

"This dress is perfect. Your mother would've loved it, that's for sure," Aunt Gemma said firmly. That was enough to convince me. "Speaking of which."

She handed me the blue box she had been holding.

"I thought you might want to wear this."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Open it, you'll see," Aunt Gemma said.

I opened the blue box and inside I found a delicate silver chain with a little heart pendant attached to it. I gasped.

"This was the necklace Mom used to wear all the time!" I said, taking the chain in my hand.

"Not exactly. This is the necklace _I_ used to wear all the time," Aunt Gemma answered. "Your mother and I had the same. I felt like now was a good time to give it to you."

I was moved. I remembered my mother wearing that necklace every single day.

"Here," Aunt Gemma said. She took the necklace from me and attached it at the back of my neck. The pendant fell a few inches lower than my collarbones.

"Thank you so much," I said, giving Aunt Gemma a hug and a kiss.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Prince Charming is here," Aunt Gemma winked at me. I rolled my eyes, which made her laugh. "Go on, don't keep him waiting," Aunt Gemma said.

I smiled at her before exiting my room and going down the stairs.

Jake had let Ponyboy, Sodapop and Sandy in. I was relieved to see that Sandy was wearing a dress that was only slightly more casual than mine. I had chose right. Then, I saw Ponyboy.

He was looking at me with an expression I had never seen on him before. He was looking at me up and down, with a mesmerized look on his face. For once, I didn't feel too thin, too this or too that. The way he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the whole world.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said. "You look… beautiful."

"Thanks," I said, feeling myself blushing.

"Okay, this is really cute and all, but we have a party to go to, so…" Soda started. "Shall we leave?"

I giggled lightly.

"Let's go," I said.

XxX

The dance was a blast. The barn was all cleaned up and decorated for the event, and there was music and everyone was having a blast. We met up with Dally and Sylvia, Steve and Evie and Two-Bit, who had a girl at his arm I'd never seen before (I found out later on that her name was Barbara).

Ponyboy asked me to dance and very soon, everybody was dancing, including Dally and Sylvia. Him and I made eye contact and I knew he was remembering the evening before the car crash, when I had taught him how to dance. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

Ponyboy was a way better dancer than I had expected. I pointed it out, and he explained that sometimes, when they were all bored, their parents would put music in the house and teach the three boys dancing skills. I smiled at the thought of a slightly younger Ponyboy making his mother twirl around the living room with some Elvis music playing in the background.

It was like there was only the two of us. He was the only one I saw. We danced and talked and had a great time for a few hours, appreciating each other's presence. After two hours of dancing, Ponyboy whispered in my ear.

"Can I show you something?"

I nodded, trusting him entirely as he grabbed my hand and carried me out of the barn.

XxX

"What is this place?" I asked.

"I used to come here often when Mom and Dad died, whenever I need to be alone," he answered.

We had been walking away from the barn for a good twenty minutes. We were now standing in front of another barn. An old, abandoned-looking one.

"Why'd you bring me here?" I asked.

"I wanted you to see that part of me, I guess," he answered. "Do you wanna go in?"

"Sure," I said, grabbing his hand.

We walked up to the barn and Ponyboy pushed the door open with his free hand. The interior was so dark I couldn't see anything. I was starting to get creeped out, but Ponyboy seemed confident about where he was going. He grabbed my hand more firmly and guided me to the middle of the room. The only sound that could be heard was our footsteps, mine being louder because of my heels.

We reached a point where he stopped and bended down in front of him. I heard him fumble with something and a few minutes later, a lantern lit up, illuminating the room with a dim glow.

The barn was vast, with a wooden floor and a big pile of hay bales right in the middle of the room. At our feet, next to the lantern and the hay bales, there was a red, old-looking blanket on the ground.

"I used to come here and read sometimes. It's not that far away from home, so…" Ponyboy didn't finish his sentence.

I was looking at him. This was the first time we were really alone together, as in far away from others. He seemed to realize that.

"Ponyboy…" I started.

"Yeah, I know, maybe coming here was a bad idea. Maybe we should just go back," he started.

"Pony," I stopped him by grabbing his arm and I kissed him. This wasn't our usual soft, sweet kisses. Something about that kiss was different. More passionate, more urgent. I felt something in the pit of my stomach. A sort of warmth, something I had never felt before. Ponyboy seemed to feel what was coming too because he pulled away.

"Mary, please," he started, panting.

"What is it?" I asked, a smile growing onto my face.

"I just… we should go back," he said, seemingly very nervous, his voice coming out more strained than usual.

"Why? I like it here," I said innocently. One look at his crotch and I understood his discomfort.

"Mary, please, we're gonna do something we'll regret," he said, grabbing my hand and attempting to pull me towards the door.

"Why would we regret it? Because it makes us feel good? Because it makes us feel something?" I asked.

"Mary-" he started.

"Pony. I love you," I said.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at me. I had never told him I loved him before. I wasn't doing it in hopes of getting what I wanted. I knew he wanted it just as much. I was saying it because I meant it. I loved him. With all my heart.

"I love you too," he said, and that was it.

He laid me down on the blanket, which was surprisingly soft. The dim glow of the lantern casted a beautiful, romantic glow into the barn. It was just me and him.

"Just relax," I said, raising one of my hand to brush his cheek with the back of my fingers. The gesture seemed comforting for him.

Nothing could stop us now. Everything the church had told us didn't seem to matter anymore. The moment was short-lived, it being our first time, but at the same time passionate, tender and romantic. Our mouths locked, our hands explored every inch of each other's skin, our bodies connected. It wasn't particularly pleasurable, nor was it particularly painful, but every move, every gesture was attentive, soft and filled with love, and only then did I know that nothing could break us apart.

I didn't know back then that this was my Last Good Day. Each terminally ill person has one, and you can only know it's your Last Good Day after you've lived it. A day when everything just gets better, and you feel almost normal again, like the illness is not even there. Then, the next day or a few days later, your health condition plummets and it's only then that you know this was your Last Good Day. But as Ponyboy and I loved each other, I couldn't bring myself to even think about the past, or the future. All that mattered for us was each other, right now, in this moment.


	29. The Last Sunset

**A/N: Hello fellow greasers! Hope you are well! Just the usual reminder to leave a lovely review, because reviews really do make my day! Here's chapter 29, I hope you enjoy it (Prepare the tissues). Stay gold. x**

XxX

*3rd POV*

That was, indeed, Mary Jane"s Last Good Day. After that unforgettable night of dancing and love-making, Mary's health deteriorated rapidly. The doctor had been right. She lost her appetite and by the next Friday, she had lost ten pounds off her already skinny body and was spending most of her time sleeping in bed. Ponyboy visited her often and sometimes, the gang would come along.

By July 19, Mary became too weak to even get out of bed. Her face became hollow, her shoulders protruding, her stomach sinking in, her hands bony, her hair dull, her voice raising just above a whisper. Her aunt and uncle, Jake and Ponyboy whenever he could had to help her with everything, from going to the bathroom to showering to eating to even sitting up in bed. She couldn't even hold her head up for too long. She was slowly losing her dignity and her autonomy.

XxX

_July 22, 1966_

*Mary's POV*

I knew it the moment I opened my eyes that morning. Something was going to happen today. Then, I remembered. It was Ponyboy's birthday today.

I heard the door open and saw Jake slipping into the room with a tray of food.

"Hi, Mary! Are you hungry?" he greeted. I didn't answer and he didn't feel the need to insist. He knew all too well that the answer to that question was always no.

"Jake…?" I croaked out.

"What is it, Mary?" he answered, setting the tray on my bedside table and adjusting my pillows so I could sit up.

"Where's Ponyboy?" I asked.

"He's at home, Mary. He left last night," Jake answered. "He said he'd come back tomorrow."

Jake filled a spoon with oatmeal and tried to make me eat but just the smell of food made me wrinkle my nose and turn away.

"Mary, come on, you gotta eat something," Jake said. "Just a few bites, come on, you can do this."

"I wanna see Ponyboy," I said. "It's his birthday today."

"You'll see him tomorrow, Mary, now please eat."

"No you don't understand, I really need to see him," I insisted.

"You'll see him soon, just please eat a few spoonfuls of this. I'll do whatever you want after that," Jake insisted.

I resigned. Jake slipped a spoonful of food into my open mouth repeatedly, but after only three bites, I turned my head away, nearly gagging.

"You have to eat more than that, Mary," Jake pointed out.

"Jake, I'm not eating anymore of this." I said. Jake surprisingly didn't insist.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Jake asked as he set the spoon back into the bowl in defeat.

"Call Ponyboy and get him to come over," I said.

"Mary-" he started.

"Please, Jake," I pleaded.

Jake sighed.

"Fine, I'll give him a call. Just try to get some rest," Jake said, picking up the tray and leaving the room as I laid back down, exhausted.

XxX

Ponyboy came over sometime after dinner. I got to wish him a happy birthday.

"I'm fourteen now, just like you," he said proudly as he laid down on the bed next to me.

"I'm sorry, if you had anything planned-" I started.

"Don't worry about it," he brushed it off. "Darry had to pick up extra shifts today, so we're celebrating tomorrow."

I nodded.

"Would you like me to read to you?" he offered.

I nodded again, smiling softly. I loved it when he did that. I had gotten started on To Kill a Mockingbird a few weeks ago but forgot to finish it, so since the party, whenever Ponyboy came over, he read the story to me. The book still lay on my bedside table, so Ponyboy picked it up, opened the book at the page we were at (no bookmarks needed. No idea how he does it), and continued the story from where we had left it off last night. I cuddled closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder to be able to look at the pages. We were more than halfway through last night, and for two hours, I listened to Ponyboy's deep voice, narrating the story until the very last sentence.

"And he'd be there when Jem waked up in the morning," he concluded, closing the book.

"Did you like it?" he asked.

"I loved it," I mumbled tiredly, nuzzling Ponyboy's neck and closing my eyes in content.

"The sun is setting," Ponyboy pointed out.

"Can we watch it?" I asked.

"It's not Saturday," he said, giggling slightly.

"I don't care," I answered.

"Are you sure, Mary? I mean… you can barely hold your head up," Ponyboy said, biting his lip.

"Carry me, then," I said. "Please?"

"Alright," he gave in.

He pulled himself off to bed and very carefully picked me up. I felt self-conscious. I had been thin before, but this was a completely different deal. I knew I was light as a feather, so Ponyboy could carry me effortlessly, but I also knew he could probably feel all my bones under his hands.

"You know, you're still beautiful to me," he said, as though reading my mind. I smiled.

He carried me from my bed to the small padded bench on the windowsill. He set me down gently so we were sitting one in front of the other so I could lean on his chest and I didn't have to hold my head up.

The sunset outside was beautiful, as usual. Orange, gold, red and yellow seemed to blend together in the sky as the sun went down. Somehow, I knew this was it. I knew my body couldn't take it any longer. I knew that I was going to die sometime tonight. I wanted to remember everything about this moment. The beauty of the sky, Ponyboy's arms around me, the occasional kiss on the head, and as Ponyboy recited Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay", all I could think about was how beautiful this moment was. It was gold and I wanted to remember every minute of it.

Our last sunset.

XxX

The sky had gone dark. Ponyboy had tucked me back into bed and was getting ready to leave.

"Ponyboy?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Could you stay tonight?" I asked.

"I don't think your uncle would be alright with that, Mary," Ponyboy answered. "I can always come back early tomorrow morning if you want."

"Pony, you don't understand," I said. "I think this is it."

He took one look at me and he understood what I meant.

"Let me go ask your uncle downstairs, alright?" he said, brushing back a few strands of my dull hair. "I'll call Darry and I'll be right back, okay?"

I nodded. He left the room as I sank back into my pillows, feeling myself getting weaker by the second. I heard voices speaking downstairs, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. About fifteen minutes later, Ponyboy came back into the room.

"I called Darry, everything's fine," he explained. He went to slide into bed with his clothes on.

"You know you can take off your jeans? You'd be more comfortable," I said. "It's not like I've never seen you naked before."

He smiled at me at the memory of our night in the barn. He he took off his pants before sliding in bed right next to me, cuddling closer and wrapping his arm around my waist, our legs tangling.

"Do you need anything before we sleep?" he asked.

I shook my head, the warmth of his body providing me with comfort as I buried my face into the crook of his neck.

"Ponyboy?" I said after a moment of silence.

"Mmh?" he pulled back slightly to look at me in the eyes.

"You know you're going to be a famous writer one day?" I felt like it was important to say it. I knew, somehow, that I wouldn't get another chance.

"I'm not that good of a writer. At least not as good as I'd like," Ponyboy answered.

"But you will be," I insisted.

He didn't answer. I felt like he knew, too, that this was the last conversation we were going to have in a very, very long time.

"You know what?" I said. "I used to be angry at God for taking away my parents. I used to feel like everyone wanted to get away. And now… I'm the one going ahead."

Ponyboy didn't say anything. He had tears in his eyes.

"I'm not scared," I added, tears welling up in my eyes too. "I can be brave too, you know."

A tear fell down Ponyboy's cheek.

"I don't want you leave," he said, his voice choked up with sobs. "But you told me a few weeks ago that when the time was right, I should let you go."

I waited for what came next, tears streaming down my face.

"It is with all the love in the world that I'm letting you go."

That was the last thing we said to one another. We kissed with tenderness mixed with urgency and we cuddled as close as we could to one another until I felt his grip on me loosening up a bit. I looked up at him to see that his eyes were closed, his features soft and peaceful. His breathing was slow and regular. He was asleep.

I felt the need to remember all the details about his face. His features, his strong eyebrows, his soft lips. I wanted to remember everything. The warmth radiating from his body, the way his chest rose and fell along with his breathing, the slight curve in his arm made by his shoulder muscle as he draped his arm around me. Handsome.

As I drifted off, I had a final thought for Jake. My brother, who looked so much like me. His dark hair, defined features and blue eyes. All he had done for me in the past few months. Childhood memories flooded back and all I could think about was how much I was going to miss him.

I took one last look at the boy I had learned to love as I let myself fall into the freedom Ponyboy had given me.

XxX

_July 23, 1966_

*Pony's POV*

I opened my eyes and I felt it. I knew it even before I looked at her. She wasn't warm like she was last night, and she was still. Too still. It was early in the morning. I could tell from the sky outside. I looked over at the girl laying next to me.

There she was. My love. My angel. Her face struck me just like the first time we made eye contact, when I handed her her bag when she had bumped into us on her first day of school. Everything about her was gorgeous. She was probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. All the memories flooded back in my mind. The highs and lows, the laughs, all the sunsets we watched on the back steps of my house, but most of all, that night in the barn a few weeks ago, when we had both lost our virginity to each other.

If you took one quick look at her, you could probably think she was asleep, since she looked so peaceful. But I had looked at her for too long. She was too still. She wasn't breathing. She was gone. I willed myself not to cry as I leaned over and pressed my lips to her cold forehead, feeling a strong ache in my chest. I kissed her forhead as tenderly as I could and whispered against her skin:

"Goodbye, beautiful."


	30. Epilogue

**A/N: Hello greasers! Hope you're doing well! Here's the last chapter! I'm really sad to see this story end! I have appreciated every moment of writing this story. I wanted to thank every single person who reviewed and gave me wonderful feedback since chapter 1!**

**If you've been reading this story and haven't reviewed yet, please feel free to leave one telling me what you thought of the story! I'd love to hear about it!**

**There will NOT be a sequel, and I think you'll understand why when you'll be finished with this chapter. Stay gold. - Isabelle**

XxX

*Pony's POV*

I left the house shortly after that. I couldn't deal with Jake openly crying and Mr and Mrs Sanders grieving silently. I figured I should give them (and myself) some space.

The following few days were pretty much a blur. I had told the gang everything, and all of us showed up at the funeral, wearing our best outfit, our hair greased more neatly than usual. A bunch of Socs were there too, but for once, they didn't bother us. When we arrived, Jake came and gave each of us a big hug and thanked us for coming. He also thanked me for everything I had done for Mary in the last few weeks. You could see it in his face that the last few days had been very hard for him. He looked exhausted, his eyes empty.

I didn't like the funeral. For once, it brought back memories of my parents. Second, the coffin was open, and Mary just didn't look like herself. Third, I wanted to bawl so bad, but I knew I couldn't. Not in front of Socs. Not in front of Jake. I had to hold it in until I got home, where I could lock myself in my bedroom and cry all I wanted. When the funeral was over, we gave our last condolences to Jake and to the Sanders and we left shortly after that.

We ended up not celebrating my birthday and honestly, I couldn't care less. All I wanted was Mary, and she wasn't here with me. There was no point in celebrating anything when someone you love is missing.

I remember going to bed with Sodapop a few nights after the funeral. He threw an arm around me and asked:

"Pony, tell me the truth. Are you really okay?"

A lump formed in my throat. I tried clearing my throat to make it go away but it didn't work.

"I'm fine," I answered, although it didn't sound convincing. I had tried for Mary's sake to be strong and keep it together, just like Darry did when our parents died. I felt like crying would be holding her back and she didn't want to be held back. I wanted her to think I was fine. I had no idea where the hell she was, but at the time, it felt like the right thing to do.

"Ponyboy, it's okay to be upset, little buddy-" he started.

"I said I'm fine, Soda! Leave me alone!" I snapped, more rude than I had initially intended.

"Look at me," he said.

I sighed exasperatedly and turned around in bed so I was facing him. His arm was still around me. I just wanted him to leave it.

"What?" I said.

"I loved her too, you know," he started. "But not like you did. You guys had something special. I know you miss her, and that's okay."

"Soda…" I started, but didn't find the strength to continue. The lump in my throat was so painful I could barely breathe.

My brother pulled me into a hug and squeezed the living daylights out of me. That's when I lost it. A tear escaped my eye, then another, and another.

"I miss her so much," I whimpered.

"I know you do," Sodapop answered.

My tears turned to full-on sobs. All the pent-up frustration and heartbreak just kind of bottled up and I couldn't hold it in anymore. The louder I cried, the harder Soda hugged me.

"It's not fair!" I yelled, my voice muffled by Sodapop's t-shirt.

"Shhhh…" was all Sodapop said as he kept stroking my hair back. He hugged me until my loud sobs turned to silent ones. He kept rocking me back in forth and stroking my hair in an attempt to soothe me. His t-shirt was soaked with tears, but he didn't seem to mind. I ended up falling asleep in his arms, completely empty and exhausted. That was the first and last time I cried about Mary Jane Evans. Sodapop never mentioned it again.

XxX

The rest of the summer went by dully. Everybody in the gang dealt with the loss in a different way. The Socs went back to harassing us. Things went back to normal. Strangely, it was as though she had never existed. A ghost of a person coming into this town and leaving a few months later, leaving no trace of existence behind except memories, most of them painful now. I had stopped having nightmares for a while, but they were back, more terrifying than ever before.

Not a single day went by without me thinking of her. I saw her everywhere, in everything. I couldn't even sit on the back steps of my house. Even the couch was hard to sit on, when I thought of the times she crashed on it. I didn't see Jake again, surprisingly. I didn't have any appetite, everything tasted the same. Darry started getting worried about me, but I assured him I was okay.

Out of the rest of the gang, Dally was taking it the hardest. One day, a few weeks after the funeral, Dally went missing. We drove through the entire town looking for him, our gang split into groups. We found him, Johnny, Darry, Soda and I in an alley close to Buck's, drunker than I'd ever seen him.

"Ya know what, Pony?" he started, his voice slurred because of the booze. "I should really stop caring for people. The moment I start caring, they either die or run away!"

That statement was followed by a series of unintelligible curse words. Darry and Soda managed to get him on his feet and they half-dragged, half-carried him to the truck, Dally stumbling and nearly falling at every step. We brought him to our house and he spent the rest of the night in the bathroom, alternating between passing out and throwing up. He stopped getting sick just as we were seriously considering taking him to the hospital. The next morning, he was stable enough to go sleep in Soda's old bedroom, where he locked himself for two days straight, in complete darkness, refusing to speak to anyone. Everyone was pretty shook up after that.

XxX

Summer came to an end and soon, I started my Sophomore year of high school. Things settled down. Darry and Soda continued working, as usual. It had now been eight months since our parents died, and about a month and a half since Mary did. Two-Bit, Johnny, Steve, Dally and I went back to school, which gave me something else to think about.

I still thought about Mary everyday, but the more time passed, the less painful it was to bring back memories. I even found myself laughing with the gang about fun times we had with her.

And one day, strangely. I didn't think about her all day. I had spent the whole day at school, and I had gone to the movies afterwards to see a Paul Newman movie I had been wanting to see. For once, I didn't think about Mary. The movie was so captivating it sort of carried me elsewhere. I didn't know if, looking back, I should feel guilty about it, but that's still what happened, and even when the movie was over, my thoughts were still carried elsewhere. I guess that's what happens when you move on, just like I don't think about Mom and Dad all the time anymore. So when I stepped out of the movie house, I wasn't thinking about her.

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind : Paul Newman and a ride home.


End file.
